Forever in Desert's Embrace
Gegentuya

Tartar poplars and I
Are all the desert's offspring
Children of that big fellow
But the poplars are older than I
Under their custody
I was born

I shall grow old
I too shall die
In autumn
The poplar leaves
Are my models, constantly
I learn from them
Not to grieve
To treat the past
As calmly as the future
Because I am
A little sparrow in the desert

When the poplar leaves and I
Quietly descend from mid-air
We're still in his embrace
I still know
What hour in the morning
What hour at night
In the desert
Even though no one can guess
Within which wave
Upon which dune
I'm at rest in the desert.