Horses in the Ocean by Boris Slutski

Horses can swim in theory,

But not well. Not far, obviously.

The s hip was called "Gloria" -

You will keep in mind this easily.

A ship sailed, of its name proud,

Trying to conquer the ocean all right.

In the hold, shaking their kindly snouts

A thousand horses tramped day and night.

A thousand horses! Four thousand horseshoes!

Still, they brought no happiness.

A mine pierced the ship's bottom across

Far, far from land at water  wilderness.

People climbed into boats, climbed into dinghies.

The horses simply swam on their own.

What could they do, poor things, disconsolate:0

There was no room on the rafts and boats.x

A red island floated across the ocean.

A bay horse island in the blue sea swam.

And at first it seemed easy to swim,

The ocean seemed like a river to them.

But the river's edge was nowhere in sight,

Running out of horse power in emotion,

Suddenly the horses began, protesting, to neigh,

To those who were drowning them in the ocean.

The horses sank to the bottom, neighing and neighing,

Until they all sank to the bottom at end.

That's all. And yet I still feel sorry for them, drowning, 

The red ones, who would never saw the land…