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.
A few random poems:
- The Ghosts of past, the Angels of future by Vyshnav Shabu Nair
- Robert Burns: Mark Yonder Pomp Of Costly Fashion:
- Lyonesse
- Why Should Not Old Men Be Mad? by William Butler Yeats
- The Confederate Flags poem – Ambrose Bierce poems | Poems and Poetry
- Some One by Walter de la Mare
- Universal Prayer poem – Alexander Pope
- Ольга Седакова – Дикий шиповник
- “For where, beneath one’s parent sky” poem – Alfred Austin
- To a Gentleman and Lady on the Death of the Lady’s Brother and Sister by Phillis Wheatley
- Ballade Of The Dead Cities poem – Andrew Lang poems
- Sonnet 09 poem – John Milton poems
- Ольга Ермолаева – За Волгой, ударившись озем
- Hymn To Death poem – Alfred Austin
- Alabaster by Sarojini Naidu
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
- Robert Burns: Address To The Woodlark:
- Robert Burns: Does Haughty Gaul Invasion Threat?:
- Robert Burns: Had I The Wyte? She Bade Me:
- Robert Burns: The Lass That Made The Bed To Me :
- Robert Burns: The Cooper O’ Cuddy:
- Robert Burns: The Cardin O’t, The Spinnin O’t:
- Robert Burns: Inscription For An Altar Of Independence: At Kerroughtree, the Seat of Mr. Heron.
- Robert Burns: Ballads on Mr. Heron’s Election, 1795: Ballad Third – John Bushby’s Lamentation.
- Robert Burns: Ballads on Mr. Heron’s Election, 1795: Second-Election Day
- Robert Burns: :
- Robert Burns: Ballads on Mr. Heron’s Election, 1795: Ballad First
- Robert Burns: O Wat Ye Wha’s In Yon Town:
- Robert Burns: I’ll Aye Ca’ In By Yon Town:
- Robert Burns: Her Answer:
- Robert Burns: O Let Me In Thes Ae Night:
- Robert Burns: The Lass O’ Ecclefechan:
- Robert Burns: O Steer Her Up An’ Haud Her Gaun:
- Robert Burns: Gude Ale Keeps The Heart Aboon:
- Robert Burns: O Aye My Wife She Dang Me:
- Robert Burns: Wee Willie Gray:
More external links (open in a new tab):
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
The Poetry Repository – an online library of poems, poetry, verse and poetic works

Alexander Pushkin (1799-1937) was a Russian poet, playwright and prose writer, founder of the realistic trend in Russian literature, literary critic and theorist of literature, historian, publicist, journalist; one of the most important cultural figures in Russia in the first third of the 19th century.