‘Well... I, my nanny… don’t know... For love I’m longing, dear me!
To cry, to weep I’m now ready...’ -I see, you are unwell already
My dear God, you bless and save!
What do you want to ask, you say!
But let me help with sacred water.
You are in heat.- - But I’m not ill Well... nanny, I’m in love, I feel.., - God bless you now, dear daughter! -
The nurse was using own way To help the girl with cross and pray.
XX
‘I fell in love’, again she whispers In nurse’s ear in dismay.
-My hearty friend, you have some fevers.-
‘I fell in love... you’d get away
Meanwhile the moon was brightly shining, By languid light it was enlightning
Tatyana’s pale and dismal charms, Her hair down let by chance,
The tracks of tears; in a chair In front of heroine in grief
In wadded jacket and kerchief The old woman with grey hair.
And all around dreams in still, With light of moon its all fulfilled.
XX I
While at the moon Tatyana’s looking, By own heart away she’s gone...
Of mind some vague a thought is moving...
‘You, nanny, let me stay forlone.
You give a pen and paper, dear, I’ll stay in bed; make table near;
Forgive me’.
Lone in the room In stillness, in the light of moon
She’s writing, on the table leaning, And always Eugene’s kept in mind,
Her letter of unwitting kind By love of innocence is breathing.
The letter’s ready, has been fit...
Tatyana, tell: for whom is it?
XXII
I knew some difficult young ladies' Like winter cold, pure, light,
Implacable at their ages, Inscrutable for all my mind;
In them I marvelled at the virtue And fashioned arrogance, that hurts you,
And I confess: from them I fled: It seemed with horror I had read
On their foreheads words of Hades: Forever hopes you must leave...
For them to love yet meant to grieve, To scare males was joy for ages.
May be, you saw at Neva’s banks Some ladies of these queer ranks.
XXIII
Among admirers obedient I’ve seen she-cranks of other kinds:
In pride they were with males indifferent. At distance stayed from praise and sighs.
And I had found then, amazing: By their bashful, stern behaving
They scared love quite timid, shy., But they attracted lovers by
At least regret, sincere pity, At least by sounds of the speech,
Which seemed to be more tender, rich; And with the trustful blind entreaty
Some youthful lover ran again Behind the fuss, but all in vain.
XXIV
But why Talyana should be guilty?
Because she’s innocent and plain,
Of fraud she knows nothing strictly And wants to dream her life away?
Because her love is not of fashion, Obedient to the call of passion?
Because ire, truthfulness she’s swift? Because from heavens got as gift
To have some quick and restless fancy? Because her will and wit has had