What kind of person someone is in soul and mind,
And what kind of heart beats inside them?
Sometimes you can judge simply by
How a person laughs.
And though their head may be thrice
Cunning or cautious,
Everything can be fabricated: gestures and words,
But laughter is impossible to fake.
For the evil, the insincere, and those
Whose conscience is covered in stains,
As a rule, their laughter is harsh and sharp,
False and unpleasant.
And only good people always,
Probably in the whole universe,
Have laughter like mountain river water,
Never hiding their feelings—
Ringing and frank!
(1972)
