With friendly hands, his corpse they laid.

RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA.

Anonymous translation CONTENTS.

DEDICATION.

PROLOGUE.

RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA: CANTO THE FIRST.

RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA: CANTO THE SECOND.

RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA: CANTO THE THIRD.

RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA: CANTO THE FOURTH.

RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA: CANTO THE FIFTH.

RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA: CANTO THE SIXTH.

EPILOGUE.

DEDICATION.

For you, queens of my soul, my treasured

Young beauties, for your sake did I

Devote my golden hours of leisure

To writing down, I'll not deny,

With faithful hand of long past ages

The whispered fables.... Take them, pray,

Accept these playful lines, these pages

For which I ask no praise.... But stay!

For my reward-I need not seek it-

Is hope: Oh, that some girl should scan,

As only one who's lovesick can,

These naughty songs of mine in secret!

PROLOGUE.

On seashore far a green oak towers,

And to it with a gold chain bound,

A .learned cat whiles away the hours

By walking slowly round and round.

To right he walks, and sings a ditty;

To left he walks, and tells a tale....

What marvels there! A mermaid sitting

High in a tree, a sprite, a trail

Where unknown beasts move never seen by

Man's eyes, a hut on chicken feet,

Without doors, without windows,