Brezové lesy

Na druhé ráno bol vlak už 400 kilometrov východne od Moskvy.

On the second morning, the train was already 400 kilometres east of Moscow.

Polly sa prebudila na malom stolíku. Svetlo bolo jemné a sivé. Galina, staršia žena, pila čaj zo skleného pohára s kovovým držiakom.

Polly woke on the small table. The light was soft and grey. Galina, the older woman, was drinking tea from a glass with a metal holder.

"Brezy," povedala.

"Birches," she said.

Vonku sa biele stromy mihali okolo rýchlosťou šesťdesiat kilometrov za hodinu. Pokračovali ďalej a ďalej. Zapĺňali celú krajinu.

Outside, white trees were rushing past at sixty kilometres per hour. They went on and on. They filled the whole landscape.

Toto je ruský brezový pás. Biela breza rastie na mnohých chladných miestach, kde iné stromy nemôžu.

This is the Russian birch belt. White birch grows in many cold places where other trees cannot.

Mladý muž, Pavel, zdvihol hlavu. "Ty si ten papagáj," povedal. Vrátil sa k svojmu laptopu.

The young man, Pavel, looked up. "You are the parrot," he said. He went back to his laptop.

Galina naliala čaj pre Polly. Bol jantárový. Na vrchu plával plátok citróna. Samovar bol horúci už dvanásť hodín.

Galina poured tea for Polly. It was amber. A slice of lemon floated on top. The samovar had been hot for twelve hours.

Polly si odpila. Bol horúci a sladký.

Polly drank a sip. It was hot and sweet.

"Najdlhšia časť tejto cesty sú stromy," povedala Galina. "Sedíš vo vlaku šesť dní a pozeráš na stromy. Nikdy nekončia."

"The longest part of this trip is the trees," Galina said. "You sit in a train for six days and look at trees. There is no end to them."

Štyridsať percent Ruska sú lesy. Rusko má dvadsať percent všetkých stromov na svete.

Forty percent of Russia is forest. Russia has twenty percent of all the trees in the world.

Polly sa znovu napila. Pavel písal. Galina čítala svoju knihu. Vonku brezy stále prechádzali.

Polly drank again. Pavel typed. Galina read her book. Outside, the birches kept passing.