The Black Shawl poem – Alexander Pushkin

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

As of senses bereft, at a black shawl I stare,

And my chill heart is tortured with deadly despair.

When dreaming too fondly in credulous youth,

I loved a Greek maiden with passion and truth.

My Greek girl was gentle and loving and fair;

But my joy quickly sank in a day of despair.

Once I feasted gay friends; ere the banquet was o’er

A Jew, the accursed, softly knocked at my door.

“Thou art laughing,” he whispered,”in pleasure’s mad whirl;

But she hath betrayed thee, thy young Grecian girl.”

I cursed him; but gold as a guerdon I gave,

And took as companion my trustiest slave.

My swift charger I mounted; at once we depart,

And the soft voice of pity was stilled in my heart.

The Greek maiden’s dwelling I hardly could mark,

For my limbs they grew faint, and my eyes they grew dark.

I silently entered-alone and amazed;

An Armenian was kissing the girl as I gazed.

I saw not the light; but I seized my good blade;

The betrayer ne’er finished the kiss that betrayed.

On his warm, headless body I trampled, then spurn’d,

And silent and pale to the maiden I turned.

I remember her prayers-in her blood how she strove;

Then perished my Greek girl-then perished my love.

I tore the black shawl from her head as she lay,

Wiped the blood-dripping weapon, and hurried away.

When the mists of the evening rose gloomy, my slave

Threw each corpse in the Danube’s dark fastrolling wave.

Since then no bewildering eyes can delight;

Since then I forbear festive banquets at night.

As of senses bereft, at a black shawl I stare,

And my chill heart is tortured with deadly despair.

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 

• Михаил Кузмин – Живется нам не плохо by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Зеленая птичка by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Запел петух, таинственный предвестник by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Заключение (Водительница Одигитрия) by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Зачем в тот вечер роковой by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Зачем копье Архистратига by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Я знаю вас не понаслышке by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Выздоравливающей by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Вы молчаливо-нежное дитя by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Вы белое бургундское вино by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Второй свидетель by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Все дни у Бога хороши by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Врезанные в песок заливы by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Врач мудрый нам открыл секрет природы by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Возвращение by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Возможно ль: скоро четверть века by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – Вот после ржавых львов и рева by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – В саду by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – В раскосый блеск зеркал забросив сети by Михаил Кузьмин
• Михаил Кузмин – В ранний утра час покидал Милет я by Михаил Кузьмин

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