A Little Small House. . .

Anatol Viarcinski

Belarus



A little small house,
I see,
was destroyed.
And in this little house
men sang songs of joy.
In this little house
a mother gave birth.
In this little house
guests were welcomed with mirth.
In this little house,
in this house, I say,
Summer and winter
were cosy and gay.
I grieve till I ache,
I grieve till tears flow
For this little house
that has been levelled low.
A thing is not better
because it is newer,
A thing is the better
if nearer and truer.
A thing is not better
because it stands taller,
A thing is the better
If closer though smaller.
A thing is not better
because it is fairer,
A thing is the better
if dearer and rarer.
And this little house
to someone was close
This little low house
some man loved the most,
With this little house
was someone's fate bound.
And this house today
was razed to the ground.