С миру по нитке. Поэтические переводы

As the morning light breaks open the Greek comes down

And he asks for a rope and a pen that will write

“Pardon, monsieur” the desk clerk says

Carefully removes his fez

“Am I hearing you right?”

And as the yellow fog is lifting

The Greek is quickly heading for the second floor

She passes him on the spiral staircase

Thinking he’s the Soviet Ambassador

She starts to speak, but he walks away

As the storm clouds rise and the palm branches sway

On Black Diamond Bay.

A soldier sits beneath the fan

Doing business with a tiny man who sells him a ring

Lightning strikes, the lights blow out

The desk clerk wakes and begins to shout

“Can you see anything?”

Then the Greek appears on the second floor

In his bare feet with a rope around his neck

While the loser in the gambling room lights up a candle

Says “Open up another deck”

But the dealer say “Attendez-vous, s’il vous plait”

As the rain beats down and the cranes fly away

From Black Diamond Bay.

The desk clerk heard the woman laugh

As he looked around the aftermath and the soldier got tough

He tried to grab the woman’s hand

Said, “Here’s a ring it cost a grand”

She said, “That ain’t enough”

Then she ran upstairs to pack her bags

While a horse-drawn taxi waited at the curb

She passed the door that the Greek had locked

Where a handwritten sign read, “Do not disturb”

She knocked upon it anyway

As the sun went down and the music did play

On Black Diamond Bay.

“I’ve got to talk to someone quick!”

But the Greek said, “Go away” and kicked the chair to the floor

He hung there from the chandelier

She cried, “Help there’s danger near

Please open up the door”

Then the volcano erupted

And the lava flowed down from the mountain high above

The soldier and the tiny man were crouched in the corner

Thinking of forbidden love

But the desk clerk said “It happens every day”

As the stars fell down and the fields burned away

On Black Diamond Bay.