Fyodor Sologub (Pseudonym of Fyodor Teternikov) (b. 1863)

IN a gay jar upon his shoulder

The slave morosely carries wine.

His road is rough with bog and boulder,

And in the sky no starlights shine.

Into the dark with stabbing glances

He peers, his careful steps are slow,

Lest on his breast as he advances

The staining wine should overflow.

I bear my amphora of sorrow,

Long brimming with the wine it hides;

There poison for each waiting morrow

Ferments within the painted sides.

I follow secret ways and hidden

To guard the evil vessel, lest

A careless hand should pour unbidden

Its bitterness upon my breast.