The Three Tenses of Evgenii Rein "Was, Were, Was, Was, Was …"

Abstract

It is an almost Kruchenykh-like incantation—the key to Evgenii Rein's poetry.¹ As in any normal building, the key is not hidden from hypothetical robbers—it lies in full view or even dangles in the doorway, out of forgetfulness. A great deal about Rein's poems is simple, understandable, and accessible to anyone: look at it, like it, love it, repudiate it. As in any genuine poetry, though, what is most important is not its outward attributes but the overall atmosphere, the intonation, and the secret signs of fate the outsider does not know.