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 

• Василий Жуковский – Библия by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – Бедный певец by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – Ахилл by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – Адельстан by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – 19 марта 1823 by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – К Перовскому (Счастливец, ею ты любим) by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – К Нине (О Нина, о Нина) by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – К ней by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – К мимо пролетавшему гению by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – К князю Вяземскому by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – К кн. Вяземскому и В.Л.Пушкину by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – К Филону by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – К Дмитриеву (Нет, не прошла) by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – Из альбома, подаренного Ростопчиной (Пушкин) by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – Гомер by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – Государыне великой княгине на рождение by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – Голос с того света by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – Герой by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – Гаральд by Василий Жуковский
• Василий Жуковский – Эолова арфа by Василий Жуковский

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