Pushkin's Eugene Onegin. Book II. Stanzas 16-18.

Enter your search terms Submit search form

PUSHKIN'S POEMS

EUGENE ONEGIN

(In this edition he is called Yevgeny Onegin).

BOOK II Stanzas 16-18.

Меж ими всё рождало споры
И к размышлению влекло:
Племен минувших договоры,
Плоды наук, добро и зло,
И предрассудки вековые,
И гроба тайны роковые,
Судьба и жизнь в свою чреду,
Все подвергалось их суду.
Поэт в жару своих суждений
Читал, забывшись, между тем
Отрывки северных поэм,
И снисходительный Евгений,
Хоть их не много понимал,
Прилежно юноше внимал.

XVI

Between them ever rose disputations,
Which sparked off deeper trains of thought:
The life and history of past nations
The fruits of science, evil and good,
Ancient custom and prejudice,
The fateful secrets of the grave,
Fortune and life, all in their turn
Were subjected to analysis.
The poet burning with hot opinions
Would recite, plunged in a reverie
Fragments of Russian poetry
While indulgently Yevgeny listened.
Although to him they made no sense
He heard out the youth with diligence.

Но чаще занимали страсти
Умы пустынников моих.
Ушед от их мятежной власти,
Онегин говорил об них
С невольным вздохом сожаленья.
Блажен, кто ведал их волненья
И наконец от них отстал;
Блаженней тот, кто их не знал,
Кто охлаждал любовь - разлукой,
Вражду - злословием; порой
Зевал с друзьями и с женой,
Ревнивой не тревожась мукой,
И дедов верный капитал
Коварной двойке не вверял.

XVII

But most of all the realms of passion
My two young hermits wandered in.
Having escaped from their intemperate reign
Onegin could, with quiet dispassion
Speak of them, though not without a sigh.
Happy the one who has known their agitation
And at last has left them far behind,
But happier is he with an untouched mind,
Who has cooled off love with separation,
Or love's revenge with a spiteful word,
Who yawns with wife, friends and relations
Untroubled by jealous perturbations,
And whose grandfathers' solid capital
He has not entrusted to the gambler's table.

Когда прибегнем мы под знамя
Благоразумной тишины,
Когда страстей угаснет пламя
И нам становятся смешны
Их своевольство иль порывы
И запоздалые отзывы, -
Смиренные не без труда,
Мы любим слушать иногда
Страстей чужих язык мятежный,
И нам он сердце шевелит.
Так точно старый инвалид
Охотно клонит слух прилежный
Рассказам юных усачей,
Забытый в хижине своей.
XVIII

When we take refuge under the banner
Of quiet and sombre rationality,
When passions' flames have grown much dimmer
And their unbridled liberty
Is now ridiculous, and their outbursts,
And even their belated thirsts, -
Then, with some struggle, now being sober
We love to hear sometimes the tale
From another's tongue of passion's gale,
And sometimes it can stir our soul.
Just as an ancient veteran
Will gladly bend his ear to listen
To the story of a young moustachio,
Being cooped in his hut from long ago.

Shakespeare's Sonnets

Enter your search terms Submit search form

Copyright © 2001 - 2009 of this site belongs to Oxquarry Books Ltd.

Меж ими всё рождало споры И к размышлению влекло: Племен минувших договоры, Плоды наук, добро и зло, И предрассудки вековые, И гроба тайны роковые, Судьба и жизнь в свою чреду, Все подвергалось их суду. Поэт в жару своих суждений Читал, забывшись, между тем Отрывки северных поэм, И снисходительный Евгений, Хоть их не много понимал, Прилежно юноше внимал.		XVI Between them ever rose disputations, Which sparked off deeper trains of thought: The life and history of past nations The fruits of science, evil and good, Ancient custom and prejudice, The fateful secrets of the grave, Fortune and life, all in their turn Were subjected to analysis. The poet burning with hot opinions Would recite, plunged in a reverie Fragments of Russian poetry While indulgently Yevgeny listened. Although to him they made no sense He heard out the youth with diligence.
Но чаще занимали страсти Умы пустынников моих. Ушед от их мятежной власти, Онегин говорил об них С невольным вздохом сожаленья. Блажен, кто ведал их волненья И наконец от них отстал; Блаженней тот, кто их не знал, Кто охлаждал любовь - разлукой, Вражду - злословием; порой Зевал с друзьями и с женой, Ревнивой не тревожась мукой, И дедов верный капитал Коварной двойке не вверял.		XVII But most of all the realms of passion My two young hermits wandered in. Having escaped from their intemperate reign Onegin could, with quiet dispassion Speak of them, though not without a sigh. Happy the one who has known their agitation And at last has left them far behind, But happier is he with an untouched mind, Who has cooled off love with separation, Or love's revenge with a spiteful word, Who yawns with wife, friends and relations Untroubled by jealous perturbations, And whose grandfathers' solid capital He has not entrusted to the gambler's table.
Когда прибегнем мы под знамя Благоразумной тишины, Когда страстей угаснет пламя И нам становятся смешны Их своевольство иль порывы И запоздалые отзывы, - Смиренные не без труда, Мы любим слушать иногда Страстей чужих язык мятежный, И нам он сердце шевелит. Так точно старый инвалид Охотно клонит слух прилежный Рассказам юных усачей, Забытый в хижине своей.		XVIII When we take refuge under the banner Of quiet and sombre rationality, When passions' flames have grown much dimmer And their unbridled liberty Is now ridiculous, and their outbursts, And even their belated thirsts, - Then, with some struggle, now being sober We love to hear sometimes the tale From another's tongue of passion's gale, And sometimes it can stir our soul. Just as an ancient veteran Will gladly bend his ear to listen To the story of a young moustachio, Being cooped in his hut from long ago.