Евгений Онегин / Eugene Onegin

XII

Handsome and rich, the neighbourhood

Lenski as a good match received, —

Such is the country custom good;

All mothers their sweet girls believed

Suitable for this semi-Russian.

He enters: rapidly discussion

Shifts, tacks about, until they prate

The sorrows of a single state.

Perchance where Dunia pours out tea

The young proprietor we find;

To Dunia then they whisper: Mind!

And a guitar produced we see,

And Heavens! warbled forth we hear:

Come to my golden palace, dear![22 - From the lay of the Russalka, mermaid of the Dnieper.

XIII

But Lenski, having no desire

Vows matrimonial to break,

With our Onegin doth aspire

Acquaintance instantly to make.

They met. Earth, water, prose and verse,

Or ice and flame, are not diverse

If they were similar in aught.

At first such contradictions wrought

Mutual repulsion and ennui,

But grown familiar side by side

On horseback every day they ride —

Inseparable soon they be.

Thus oft – this I myself confess —

Men become friends from idleness.

XIV

But even thus not now-a-days!

In spite of common sense we’re wont

As cyphers others to appraise,

Ourselves as unities to count;

And like Napoleons each of us

A million bipeds reckons thus

One instrument for his own use —

Feeling is silly, dangerous.

Eugene, more tolerant than this

(Though certainly mankind he knew

And usually despised it too),

Exceptionless as no rule is,

A few of different temper deemed,

Feeling in others much esteemed.

XV

With smiling face he Lenski hears;

The poet’s fervid conversation

And judgment which unsteady veers

And eye which gleams with inspiration —

All this was novel to Eugene.

The cold reply with gloomy mien

He oft upon his lips would curb,

Thinking: ’tis foolish to disturb

This evanescent boyish bliss.

Time without me will lessons give,

So meantime let him joyous live

And deem the world perfection is!

Forgive the fever youth inspires,

And youthful madness, youthful fires.

XVI

The gulf between them was so vast,

Debate commanded ample food —

The laws of generations past,

The fruits of science, evil, good,

The prejudices all men have,

The fatal secrets of the grave,

And life and fate in turn selected

Were to analysis subjected.