At her to gaze he was assidious, But no tracks of Tanya previous
Could my Onegin now find.
To have a talk with her he tried
And… he could not.
She was him asking: For long he's here? Where from?
If their district visits on?
And then at prince she was adjusting
Her tired look and slipped away...
Unmoving, lone he’s again.
XX
Is she the same Tatyana real? To whom he privately, in haze,
At start of novel good ideal In thicket of a distant place,
In happy heat on moral lecture By chance could give her like preceptor?
The same, from whom he now keeps A letter, where heart her speaks,
And where everything’s at freedom? The same yet girl... or its a dream?
The same yet girl, whom he in whim Neglected then like meek for wisdom?
Indeed she now could behave Indifferently, could be brave?
XXI
He now leaves the noisy rout. He goes home, has to think;
And now sullen, now harmful Ideas trouble late his dream.
Aid he awoke; they are bringing A letter: him prince N. is bidding
For evening party...
‘Lord! to her!..
Yes, I shall come, I’ll come!’ - before
His lunch him answered with politeness.
What happened, what a strange a dreamt
What has been moved inside of him, In soul lazy, cool, delightless?
Annoyance? bustle? or anew Some love - the trouble of the youth?
XXII
Again his time Onegin counts, Again the day is dragging forth;
It’s striking ten; he’s driving out. He’s flying... now he’s at porch.
He trembles... to princess he’s coming; His Tanya lone he is finding_
Together for a time they sit.
Are silent.
Not a word can slip
Away from Eugene’s lips; morose, He’s awkward, hardly has he force
To answer her.
To him occurs A stubborn, rude idea though,
And stubbornly he looks; but she Is sitting quietly, she’s free.
XXIII
Her husband comes.
He is suspending This quite unpleasant tete-a-tete.
And with Onegin’s recollecting Some jokes, pranks of old date,
They laugh; the guests are now coming.
And by the salt of worlds backbiting
Has been enlivened all the talk; In front of hostess light rot
Without mincing style was shining, But interrupted was meanwhile
By prudent talk without trite, E ternal morals, prigs surviving,
And didn’t frighten anyone By natural vividness and fun,
XXIV