Confession (to Alina Osipova, 1826) poem – Alexander Pushkin

A poem by Alexander Pushkin – Pouchkine, Pooshkin (1799-1837), in English translation

I love you; though it makes me beat,

Though vain it seems, and melancholy –

Yet to this shameless, hapless folly

I’ll be confessing at your feet.

It ill becomes me: that I’m older,

Time I should be more sensible…

And yet the frivolous disorder

Fills every jitter of my soul.

Say you’ll be gone; I’m jaded, yawning;

You’re back; I’m sad, I suffer through –

Yet how can I be clear, from owning,

My angel, all my care for you!

When off the stairs your weightless footfall,

Your dress’s rustle, reaches me,

Your voice, as maidenly, as youthful –

I lose my senses instantly.

You smile at me; I’m glad, immensely;

Ignore me; and I’m sad, again;

Your pallid hand will recompense me

For the whole day of utter pain.

When you’re embroidering, or setting

Your eye on something fair, or letting

Your hair amuse you; I’m beguiled;

In silence, reddening, all forgetting

I watch you like a spellbound child.

But then how wretched my existence,

How desolate my jealous pain,

When you set out into the distance

To wander in the cold and rain;

And then your solitary grievings,

Or, in the corner, twosome talks,

Or twosome piano in the evenings,

Or twosome trips, or twosome walks…

Alina! just a little mercy –

I dare not even mention love:

For sins I have been guilty of,

My angel, of your care unworthy…

But feign it! All can be achieved

By that absorbing gaze, believe me…

Oh, it takes little to deceive me –

I cannot wait to be deceived!

translated by: Genia Gurarie

email: egurarie@princeton.edu

http://www.princeton.edu/~egurarie/

Copyright ©: 
Genia Gurarie

Poetry Monster – Home

A few random poems:

External links

Bat’s Poetry Page – more poetry by Fledermaus

Talking Writing Monster’s Page –

Batty Writing – the bat’s idle chatter, thoughts, ideas and observations, all original, all fresh

Poems in English 

• Федор Сологуб – Лепестками завялыми by Фёдор Сологуб
• Федор Сологуб – Ландыши, ландыши, бедные цветы by Фёдор Сологуб
• Федор Сологуб – Ландыш пленительный by Фёдор Сологуб
• Федор Сологуб – Купол церкви, крест и небо by Фёдор Сологуб
• Федор Сологуб – Кукушка кукует by Фёдор Сологуб
• Федор Сологуб – Круг начертан, и Сивилла by Фёдор Сологуб
• Федор Сологуб – Краем прибережной кручи by Фёдор Сологуб
• Федор Сологуб – Короткая радость сгорела by Фёдор Сологуб
• Федор Сологуб – Колёса по рельсам гудели by Фёдор Сологуб
• Федор Сологуб – Кольцо и венок by Фёдор Сологуб
• Федор Сологуб – Когда я в бурном море плавал by Фёдор Сологуб
• Федор Сологуб – Ах, лягушки по дорожке by Фёдор Сологуб
• Федор Сологуб – Астероид by Фёдор Сологуб
• Федор Сологуб – Ариадна by Фёдор Сологуб
• Sergei Esenin – Sergueï Essénine – Stars by Fledermaus
• Эмиль Верхарн – Звонарь by Émile Verhaeren
• Эмиль Верхарн – Золото by Émile Verhaeren
• Эмиль Верхарн – Зимняя пора by Émile Verhaeren
• Эмиль Верхарн – Женщина в черном by Émile Verhaeren
• Эмиль Верхарн – Здравствуй, подруга by Émile Verhaeren

More external links (open in a new tab):

Russian Commerce Agency

Dealing Monster

Doska or the Board – write anything

Search engines:

Yandex – the best search engine for searches in Russian (and the best overall image search engine, in any language, anywhere)

Qwant – the best search engine for searches in French, German as well as Romance and Germanic languages.

Ecosia – a search engine that supposedly… plants trees

Duckduckgo – the real alternative and a search engine that actually works. Without much censorship or partisan politics.

Yahoo– yes, it’s still around, amazingly, miraculously, incredibly, but now it seems to be powered by Bing.

 

Parallel Translations of Poetry

Poems by Author and Category

The Poetry Repository – an online library of poems, poetry, verse and poetic works