This is really so long, but Russian children used to have to memorize it/ It is supposed to give you a glimpse of a Russian woman's soul.
In Pushkin's poem, Tatiana was 17, Onegin, in his thirties.
TATIANA'S LETTER TO ONEGIN
I write to you - what else is there?
What else, what more may I attempt?
I know, now it's only fair
To keep my poor heart in contempt.
For the despondent fate of mine,
And saving empathy's warm tot,
You won't forsake me, you will not!
At first, I wanted to be mute;
Trust me that nothing of my shame
Would see the light of public fame,
If you would seldom, once a week,
Stop by the house of a lonely geek;
To only hear a familiar voice,
To say a word to you, rejoice,
Think more and more of still the same,
And hope that you will come again.
But people say that you're a loner,
That our village you can't bear,
And we don't shine, but for a scorner,
We're simply glad when you are there.
Why did you ever visit us?
In a cloister of a forgotten place
I'd never make that foolish fuss,
I'd never learn that bitter taste.
I would arrest in time (who knows?)
Disquiet of my naif soul,
Find a companion to my heart,
And bear well my spousal part,
Be a good mother, all in all.
Another! No, I can award
with love no one in universe!
It was imparted by the lords,
the will of Heaven: I am yours;
My life was nothing but a gage
Of our gathering ahead.
You will destroy my somber cage,
By a deific precept you've been lead..
In dreams I see, you never fade,
Unknown, already my sweetheart:
Your staring glance my soul would lade,
Your wondrous voice would cheer my heart.
All gone... no, that was not a dream!
I knew it when you stepped inside,
I couldn't move, I couldn't hide
My thoughts. My heart would scream: it's him!
Before I've heard you, haven't I?
Your voice did quell me from the still
When soothe the poor I may have tried,
Or in a pray have pacified
The stirred yearning that I feel.
And have you, in a second's split,
My dear ghost, my love's heartbeat,
Not sneaked in limpidness of night,
And angled stilly to my bed?
Then, led by love and by delight,
the words of promise have you said?
Who are you, my divine defender
Or my iniquitous pretender:
Absolve my doubts, all at once,
All that is maybe just in vain,
The vestal soul's enticed pain,
And for us, there's not a chance..
My lot is such! Away, my fears!
My fate is now in your hands,
In front of you I shed my tears:
In plea for your defense I'm bent
You just imagine, I'm alone,
Nobody understands me here,
My mind's unalterably drawn:
I'll calmly die and disappear.
I wait for you: in a single gleam
Revive the hopes of my heart,
Or break the ropes of a heavy dream
With a reproach in my regard!
I finish... fear to re-read...
With shame and dread I will retreat.
Your honor is my only bond, -
To it my fate I boldly fund...
Translated by Boris Leyvi
