Loved this English translation of Я вас любил by Alexander Pushkin. One of my most favorite poems in Russian. Thought Robin Kallsen did a great job of translating it into English.
Original – In Russian
Я вас любил: любовь еще, быть может, В душе моей угасла не совсем; Но пусть она вас больше не тревожит; Я не хочу печалить вас ничем. Я вас любил безмолвно, безнадежно, То робостью, то ревностью томим; Я вас любил так искренно, так нежно, Как дай вам бог любимой быть другим.
Translation – In English
I loved you once, and love, perhaps, has not Within my soul yet wholly lost its flame; But please do not be saddened or distraught - To trouble you would drench my heart in shame. I loved you once, though lacking hope completely, By envy and timidity worn thin; I loved you so sincerely and so sweetly - Ah, may God grant you be so loved again!
Thank you for your kind compliment, so glad you liked the translation! We memorized this poem in Russian class when I was in college and I was always struck by its beauty and power no matter how many times I read it. The professor said that Pushkin wrote it for this lady who had rejected him, and when she read the poem, she was so impressed that she fell in love with him, but by that time he was totally not into her anymore. So I guess the moral of the story is, if you like someone and they don’t like you back, write a really great poem for them and they’ll be sorry!
Robin – Thank you for the backstory. And again, for your translation 🙂
– V