O, rassmeites’, smekhachi!
O, zasmeites’, smekhachi
Chto smeyutsya smekhami, chto smeyanstvuyut smeyal'no.
O, zasmeites’ usmeyal'no!
O, rassmeshishch nadsmeyal'nykh – smekh usmeinykh smekhachei!
O, issmeisya rassmeyal'no, smekh nadesmeinykh smeyachei!
Smeievo, smeievo,
Usmei, osmei, smeshiki, smeshiki,
Smeyunchiki, smeyunchiki,
O, rassmeites’, smekhachi!
O, zasmeites’, smekhachi!

Incantation by Laughter

Hlaha! Uthlofan, laflings!
Hlaha! Uthlofan, laflings!
Who lawghen with lafe, who hlaehen lewchly,
Hlaha! Uthlofan hlouly!
Hlaha! Hloufish lauflings lafe, hlohan utlaufly!
Lawfen, lawfen,
Hloh, hloh, hlou! Luifekin, luifekin,
Hlofeningum, hlofeningun.
Hlaha! Uthlofan, laflings!
Hlaha! Uthlofan, laflings!

[1908-1909]

Selected Poems of Velimer Khlebnikov, tr. Paul Schmidt, ed. Ronald Vroon
Harvard University Press, 1997
p. 30

We chant and enchant,
oh charming enchnatment!
No raving, no ranting,
no canting enchantment!
This ranting enchantress
has cast here enchantment --
we see what her chant meant!
Here rant! There cant!
You charming enchanter.
cast out her enchantment,
uncast it, uncant it,
discount it, discant it,
descant: Decant! Recant!
He can't. She can't.
Why can't she recant?
Why can't he recant?
Why can't he uncant?
Ranting chanting
no recanting.
Discant, descant.

[1908-1909]

Selected Poems of Velimer Khlebnikov, tr. Paul Schmidt, ed. Ronald Vroon
Harvard University Press, 1997
p. 31