THE CAPITAL OF KOLYMA LAND
This simple greeting had a different meaning
during the 75 years of history of my city.
1929-1936 - nothing serious, only a joke;
1936-1956 - doom and terrible,
as the invitation to the capital of barracks, prisoners and barbed wire;
1957-1975 - open and friendly;
1976 - 1991 - prior to the prowl of documents
by the chairwarmers in Soviet army uniform;
1991 - ? - open and friendly again
The tragedy of my city and the whole Kolyma Land always was
in its role as the hostage of politics:
from the bloody communist crimes up to dirty Russian reforms.
But let all that politics go to hell now:
I invite you to my beautiful city,
the paradise of the Earth for each MAGADANIAN.
Here it is:
The grey stony mountains with the green spots of cedar elfin woodland...
The blue and grey sky, the source of eternal fog and rain rather than sun...
And the rectangles of streets and avenues,
jumping up and down by the hillocky terrain...
We like it - just as it is...