by Osip MandelstamDo not tempt foreign tongues–attempt forgetting them, alas,
Because your teeth will never bite the glass.How painful is to share the flight of a foreign trill–
You’ll get an evil pay for an unlawful thrill,For foreign name on that last day won’t save this
Dying flesh and these immortal thinking lips.What if Tasso and Ariosto who are enchanting us
Are monsters with azure brains and scales of moistened eyes?And as a punishment for pride, inveterate worshiper of sound,
You’ll get a vinegar sponge for traitor’s lips spellbound.
