не пристало
И нам досталось от него
Жеманство, – больше ничего.
XXIII
She’s always modest and obedient,
And cheery like a morning rise,
With open heart, like poet’s being,
Like kiss of love is sweet and nice.
Her eyes are shining blue like sky;
The flaxen curls and tender smile,
Light movements, lovely voice and waist,
All these adornments Olga has.
But any novel take and read,
And I am sure you will find
A heroine who will remind
Olga’s sweet image; it’s, indeed
Makes me annoyed, and not to pester
I’m switching to the elder sister.
XXIV
Tatiana was her sister’s name…
For tender verses it’s uncommon,
But I shall bring to it new fame
And sanctify by tender novel.
It’s sonorous and nice, no doubt,
When hearing it I think about
The mysteries of olden years
And maidens’ room; yet, I confess,
The native morals are corrupted
Affecting Russian names, as well
(And rhymes, so far as I can tell);
From education we’ve adopted,
Just airs and graces, nothing else,
The real learning they replace.
XXV
Итак, она звалась Татьяной.
Ни красотой сестры своей,
Ни свежестью ее румяной
Не привлекла б она очей.
Дика, печальна, молчалива,
Как лань лесная боязлива,
Она в семье своей родной
Казалась девочкой чужой.
Она ласкаться не умела
К отцу, ни к матери своей;
Дитя сама, в толпе детей
Играть и прыгать не хотела
И часто целый день одна
Сидела молча у окна.
XXVI
Задумчивость, ее подруга
От самых колыбельных дней,
Теченье сельского досуга
Мечтами украшала ей.
Ее изнеженные пальцы
Не знали игл; склонясь на пяльцы,
Узором шелковым она
Не оживляла полотна.
Охоты властвовать примета,
С послушной куклою дитя
Приготовляется шутя
К приличию, закону света,
И важно повторяет ей
Уроки маминьки своей.
XXV
Thus, elder sister’s name Tatiana.
The same amaze she could not rise
As did the pretty charming minor,
Could not by same attraction prize.
She’s given to reflection, shy,
Like fallow deer when followed by,
And in the parents’ native home
Looked like not being of their own.
To show caress she hardly could
Neither to mother, nor to father,
Being a kid in children’s crowd
To jump and play she scarcely would.
And used in solitude to stay,
At window sitting all the day.
XXVI
Pensiveness was her best girlfriend
From very days of lullaby,
By dreams she used to decorate
The country’s idleness calm fly.
The mollycoddled fingers even
Didn’t ever touch a sewing needle,
She never knew how to make lace
To pattern cloth with silky trace.
A thirst for ruling over omen:
With an obedient doll the girl
In
