My Virtual Reading Room

This is Bulat Okudjava:
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Lyrics:
Your Excellency, Mistress Absence,
I feel chilly in your company, that's the thing,
Wait, don't tear up the note inside the envelope,
If I'm unlucky in death, I'll be lucky in love.

Your Excellency, Mistress Luck,
To some, you are kind, and to some, you are otherwise.
Wait, don't ask for nine grams of lead strike the heart,
If I'm unlucky in death, I'll be lucky in love.

Your Excellency, Mistress Victory,
That means that my song isn't quite finished yet;
You there, devils! Stop swearing on blood,
If I'm unlucky in death, I'll be lucky in love.