Wait for me, and I'll come back! Wait with all you've got! Wait, when cheerless yellow rain, Whispers that you need not. Wait when the snow swirls fast, Wait when the sun blazes hot, Wait when long days are past, And others have forgot. Wait, when from that distant place, Word does not arrive. Wait, when all those you face Know I'm not alive. Wait for me, and I'll come back! Wait for me, don't fret When they tell you there's no doubt, That it's time to forget. Even when those dearest to me, Tell you I am gone, Even when my nearest give up, Claiming it's been too long, Let's raise a glass of bitter wine To the friend who's passed - Wait! Don't share that drink! Wait until the last! Wait for me, and I'll come back! Cheating every fate! "A nice stroke of luck!" they'll say, Those that could not wait. Only they will never know How amid the strife, By waiting for me, my dear, And you saved my life. But the two of us will know, How you got me home. Only you knew how to wait - It was you alone. Wait for Me by Konstantin Simonov (to Valentina Serova), January 14, 1942