The Old Maids Story

Ay, many and many a year’s gone by,

Since the dawn of that day in spring,

When we met in the pine-woods, Harry and I,

And he gave me this golden ring.

I had lovers in plenty, of high degree,

Who wooed in my father’s hall;

But none were so noble and brave as he,

Though he was the scorn’d of all.

On the soft, green grass, where the shadows lay,

All fleck’d with the sun and dew,

With a ring and a kiss did we seal, that day,

Our vow to be leal and true.

‘Twas a life-long vow;-but they did not know-

And they thought not of love or pain;-

We met just once in the sleet and snow-

We were never to meet again!

He was sent away o’er the blank, wide sea,

And I, with my hopes and fears,

Had never a message to comfort me

For over a score of years.

They laugh’d at my heart, they paraded my hand,

But I answer’d them, cold and grim-

“If Harry ne’er comes to his native land,

They shall only belong to him.”

At last came a tale from the battle-field;-

And they were not scornful now.

The sentence of exile might be repealed-

They would honour our plighted vow!

They told how my Harry, like olden knights,

Had fought for his land and Queen;

Fought hard and well on the Alma heights,

Where the deadliest strife was seen.

They told how he fell in the fire and smoke,

And they gave me his things to keep;

They wonder’d why I never cried or spoke,-

But it was too late to weep.

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Poems in English 

• Николай Языков – Песня (Когда умру, смиренно совершите) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Песня (Дороже почестей и злата) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Песня (Всему человечеству) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Песни (Счастлив, кому судьбою дан) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Песни (Мы любим шумные пиры) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Песни (Душа героев и певцов) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Песнь баяна (Люблю смотреть на месяц ясной) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Переезд через приморские Альпы by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – П. В. Киреевскому (Ты крепкий, праведный стоятель) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – П. Н. Шепелеву (Ты мой приятель задушевной) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Элегия (Поденщик, тяжело навьюченный дровами) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Элегия (Ночь безлунная звездами) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Элегия (Мне ль позабыть огонь и живость) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Элегия (Любовь, любовь! веселым днем) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Элегия (Есть много всяких мук – и много я их знаю) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Элегия (День ненастный, темный; тучи) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Элегии (Свободен я: уже не трачу) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Элегии (Скажи: когда) by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Елагиной by Николай Языков
• Николай Языков – Е. Н. Мандрыкиной (В младой груди моей о вас воспоминанья) by Николай Языков

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Doska or the Board – write anything

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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.

 

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