MY MUSE.

MY PEDIGREE.

NOT AT ALL.

POLTAVA. CANTO THE FIRST.

POLTAVA. CANTO THE SECOND.

POLTAVA. CANTO THE THIRD.

QUESTIONINGS.

RESIGNED LOVE.

RIGHTS.

RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA: CANTO THE FIFTH.

RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA: CANTO THE FIRST.

RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA: CANTO THE FOURTH.

RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA: CANTO THE SECOND.

RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA: CANTO THE SIXTH.

RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA: CANTO THE THIRD.

SIGNS.

SING NOT, BEAUTY.

SLEEPLESSNESS.

SONNET: POET, NOT POPULAR APPLAUSE SHALT THOU PRIZE!.

SORROW.

SPANISH LOVE-SONG.

TARTAR SONG.

THE ANGEL.

THE AWAKING.

THE BARD.

THE BIRDLET.

THE BLACK SHAWL.

THE BRONZE HORSEMAN. CANTO THE FIRST.

THE BRONZE HORSEMAN. CANTO THE SECOND.

THE BRONZE HORSEMAN. PROLOGUE.

THE BURNT LETTER.

THE CLOUD.

THE DELIBASH.

THE DREAMER.

THE FLOWERET.

THE FOUNTAIN OF BAKHCHISARAI.

THE GIPSIES.

THE GRACES.

THE GRAVE OF A YOUTH.

THE GYPSIES.

THE HORSE.

THE MERMAID.

THE NIGHTINGALE.

THE NOISY JOYS OF THOUGHTLESS YEARS ARE SPENT.

THE OUTCAST.

THE POET.

THE PROPHET.

THE STORM-MAID.

THE TALISMAN.

THE TASK.

THE THREE SPRINGS.

THE UNWASHED.

TO -- (KERN) TO -- (KERN) COMPARISON TO A BABE.

TO THE CALUMNIATORS OF RUSSIA.

TO THE SEA.

VAIN GIFT, GIFT OF CHANCE.

The Verse Novel

Imperial Lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo - where Pushkin studied and developed his poetry

EUGENE ONEGIN.

Translated by Henry Spalding Regarded by many as Pushkin's masterpiece, Eugene Onegin is a novel in verse, published in serial form between 1825 and 1832. It consists of 389 stanzas of iambic tetrameter with an unusual rhyme scheme, using a blend of feminine and masculine rhymes, which has since become known as the 'Onegin stanza' or the 'Pushkin sonnet'. This innovative rhyme scheme, as well as the natural tone and diction have helped to establish Pushkin as the acknowledged master of Russian poetry. Eugene Onegin is also admired for its deft handling of verse narrative and its exploration of important themes, such as death, the nature of love, ennui and the defying of conventions.

Set in the 1820s, the story is told by an educated and sensitive narrator, similar to Pushkin himself. The character Eugene Onegin is portrayed as being a bored Saint Petersburg socialite, whose life consists of balls, concerts, parties and little more. When he inherits a landed estate from his uncle, he moves to the country, where he strikes up a friendship with his neighbour, the young poet Vladimir Lensky. One day, Lensky takes Onegin to dine with the family of his fiancee, the sociable but superficial Olga Larina. At this meeting he also catches a glimpse of Olga's sister Tatyana, one of Pushkin's most unique and famous characters...

The first edition's title page CONTENTS.

PREFACE.

CANTO THE FIRST.

CANTO THE SECOND.

CANTO THE THIRD.

CANTO THE FOURTH.

CANTO THE FIFTH.

CANTO THE SIXTH.

CANTO THE SEVENTH.

CANTO THE EIGHTH.

Pushkin's own illustration of the character Eugene Onegin, 1830 A late nineteenth century illustration 'Onegin' by Elena Samokish-Sudkovskaya, 1908

PREFACE.

Eugene Oneguine, the chief poetical work of Russia's greatest poet, having been translated into all the principal languages of Europe except our own, I hope that this version may prove an acceptable contribution to literature. Tastes are various in matters of poetry, but the present work possesses a more solid claim to attention in the series of faithful pictures it offers of Russian life and manners. If these be compared with Mr. Wallace's book on Russia, it will be seen that social life in that empire still preserves many of the characteristics which distinguished it half a century ago - the period of the first publication of the latter cantos of this poem.

Many references will be found in it to our own country and its literature. Russian poets have carefully plagiarized the English - notably Joukovski. Pushkin, however, was no plagiarist, though undoubtedly his mind was greatly influenced by the genius of Byron - more especially in the earliest part of his career. Indeed, as will be remarked in the following pages, he scarcely makes an effort to disguise this fact.

The biographical sketch is of course a mere outline. I did not think a longer one advisable, as memoirs do not usually excite much interest till the subjects of them are pretty well known. In the "notes" I have endeavored to elucidate a somewhat obscure subject. Some of the poet's allusions remain enigmatical to the present day. The point of each sarcasm naturally passed out of mind together with the society against which it was levelled. If some of the versification is rough and wanting in "go," I must plead in excuse the difficult form of the stanza, and in many instances the inelastic nature of the subject matter to be versified. Stanza XXXV Canto II forms a good example of the latter difficulty, and is omitted in the German and French versions to which I have had access. The translation of foreign verse is comparatively easy so long as it is confined to conventional poetic subjects, but when it embraces abrupt scraps of conversation and the description of local customs it becomes a much more arduous affair. I think I may say that I have adhered closely to the text of the original.

The following foreign translations of this poem have appeared: 1. French prose. Oeuvres choisis de Pouchekine. H. Dupont. Paris, 1847.

2. German verse. A. Puschkin's poetische Werke. F. Bodenstedt. Berlin, 1854.

3. Polish verse. Eugeniusz Oniegin. Roman Aleksandra Puszkina. A. Sikorski. Vilnius, 1847.

4. Italian prose. Racconti poetici di A. Puschkin, tradotti da A. Delatre. Firenze, 1856.

London, May 1881.

MON PORTRAIT.

Written by the poet at the age of 15.

Vous me demandez mon portrait,