III. 99
Hushed I soon shall be. But if on sorrow's dayMy songs to me with pensive play replied;But if the youths to me, in silence listeningAt my love's long torture were marvelling;But if thou thyself, to tenderness yieldingRepeated in quiet my melancholy versesAnd didst love my heart's passionate language;But if I am loved:--grant then, O dearest friend,That my beautiful beloved's coveted nameBreathe life into my lyre's farewell.When for aye embraced I am by sleep of Death,Over my urn do with tenderness pronounce:"By me he loved was, to me he owedOf his love and song his last inspiration."
Good-bye, love-letter, good-bye! 'T is her command....How long I waited, how long my handTo the fire my joys to yield was loath! ...But eno', the hour has come: burn, letter of my love!I am ready: listens more my soul to nought.Now the greedy flame thy sheets shall lick ...A minute! ... they crackle, they blaze ... a light smokeCurls and is lost with prayer mine.Now the finger's faithful imprint losingBurns the melted wax.... O Heavens!Done it is! curled in are the dark sheets;Upon their ashes light the lines adoredAre gleaming.... My breast is heavy. Ashes dear,In my sorrowful lot but poor consolation,Remain for aye with me on my weary breast....
Sing not, Beauty, in my presence,Of Transcaucasia sad the songs,Of distant shore, another life,The memory to me they bring.
Alas, alas, remind they do,These cruel strains of thine,Of steppes, and night, and of the moonAnd of distant, poor maid's features.
The vision loved, tender, fated,Forget can I, when thee I seeBut when thou singest, then before meUp again it rises.
Sing not, Beauty, in my presenceOf Transcaucasia sad the songs,Of distant shore, another lifeThe memory to me they bring.
To thee I rode: living dreams thenBehind me winding in playful crowd;My sportive trot my shoulder overThe moon upon my right was chasing.
From thee I rode: other dreams now....My loving soul now sad was,And the moon at left my sideCompanion mine now sad was.
To dreaming thus in quiet everSingers we are given over;Marks thus of superstitionSoul's feeling with are in accord!
The clouds again are o'er me,Have gathered in the stillness;Again me with misfortuneEnvious fate now threatens.Will I keep my defiance?Will I bring against herThe firmness and patienceOf my youthful pride?
Wearied by a stormy lifeI await the storm fretlessPerhaps once more safe againA harbor shall I find....But I feel the parting nigh,Unavoidable, fearful hour,To press thy hand for the last timeI haste to thee, my angel.
Angel gentle, angel calm,Gently tell me: fare thee well.Be thou grieved: thy tender gazeEither drop or to me raise.The memory of thee now shallTo my soul replaceThe strength, the pride and the hope,The daring of my former days!
Words in this poem
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- didst
- , the 2d pers. sing. imp. of Do.
- loath a.
- Hateful; odious; disliked. [OE. looth, loth, AS. la hostile, odious; akin to OS. l, G. leid, Icel. lei, Sw. led, G. leiden to suffer, OHG. lidan to suffer, go, cf. AS. li to go, Goth. leip]
- remind v. t.
- To put (one) in mind of something; to bring to the remembrance of; to bring to the notice or consideration of (a person).
- rode n.
- Redness; complexion. [See Rud.]
- stillness n.
- The quality or state of being still; quietness; silence; calmness; inactivity.
- envious a.
- Malignant; mischievous; spiteful. [OF. envios, F. envieux, fr. L. invidiosus, fr. invidia envy. See Envy, and cf. Invidious.]
- await v. t.
- To watch for; to look out for. [OF. awaitier, agaitier; (L. ad) + waitier, gaitier to watch, F. guetter. See Wait.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
III. 99 is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems With Introduction and Notes, Project Gutenberg ebook #54991; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Alexander Pushkin, III. 99, in Poems (1888), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #54991, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/pushkin-poems/iii-99.html, id L25540.
Form and metre
III. 99 is 81 lines in 12 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 82%).
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 2 AA------------- commandA · handA · loath · love · nought · lick · smoke · mine · losing · heavens · sheets · adored · dear · consolation · breast
- 5 -AA- fated · seeA · meA · rises
- 8 -A-A now · wasA · side · wasA
- 12 --AA---A calm · well · gazeA · raiseA · shall · replace · hope · daysA
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Hushed I soon shall be. But if on sorrow's day | 11 | ········/˘· |
| My songs to me with pensive play replied; | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| But if the youths to me, in silence listening | 11 | ·······/˘/˘ |
| At my love's long torture were marvelling; | 10 | ····/˘·˘/˘ |
| But if thou thyself, to tenderness yielding | 10 | ···˘/·/˘/˘ |
| Repeated in quiet my melancholy verses | 12 | ˘/˘·/·/˘·˘/˘ |
| And didst love my heart's passionate language; | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| But if I am loved:--grant then, O dearest friend, | 11 | ········/˘· |
| That my beautiful beloved's coveted name | 9 | ··/˘˘//˘· |
| Breathe life into my lyre's farewell. | 8 | ·······/ |
| When for aye embraced I am by sleep of Death, | 11 | ···˘/······ |
| Over my urn do with tenderness pronounce: | 9 | ·····/˘˘/ |
| "By me he loved was, to me he owed | 9 | ········· |
| Of his love and song his last inspiration." | 11 | ········˘/˘ |
| Good-bye, love-letter, good-bye! 'T is her command.... | 12 | ···/˘·····˘/ |
| How long I waited, how long my hand | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| To the fire my joys to yield was loath! ... | 9 | ··/······ |
| But eno', the hour has come: burn, letter of my love! | 13 | ·/˘·/···/˘··· |
| I am ready: listens more my soul to nought. | 11 | ··/˘/˘····· |
| Now the greedy flame thy sheets shall lick ... | 9 | ··/˘····· |
| A minute! ... they crackle, they blaze ... a light smoke | 11 | ·˘/·/˘····· |
| Curls and is lost with prayer mine. | 7 | ······· |
| Now the finger's faithful imprint losing | 10 | ··/˘/˘/˘/˘ |
| Burns the melted wax.... O Heavens! | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Done it is! curled in are the dark sheets; | 9 | ········· |
| Upon their ashes light the lines adored | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Are gleaming.... My breast is heavy. Ashes dear, | 11 | ·/˘···/˘/˘· |
| In my sorrowful lot but poor consolation, | 11 | ··/˘····˘/˘ |
| Remain for aye with me on my weary breast.... | 11 | ˘/······/˘· |
| Sing not, Beauty, in my presence, | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Of Transcaucasia sad the songs, | 8 | ········ |
| Of distant shore, another life, | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| The memory to me they bring. | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| Alas, alas, remind they do, | 8 | ˘/˘/˘/·· |
| These cruel strains of thine, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Of steppes, and night, and of the moon | 8 | ········ |
| And of distant, poor maid's features. | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| The vision loved, tender, fated, | 8 | ·/˘·/˘/˘ |
| Forget can I, when thee I see | 8 | ˘/······ |
| But when thou singest, then before me | 9 | ···/˘···· |
| Up again it rises. | 6 | ·˘/·/˘ |
| Sing not, Beauty, in my presence | 8 | ··/˘··/˘ |
| Of Transcaucasia sad the songs, | 8 | ········ |
| Of distant shore, another life | 8 | ·/˘·˘/˘· |
| The memory to me they bring. | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| To thee I rode: living dreams then | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| Behind me winding in playful crowd; | 9 | ···/˘·/˘· |
| My sportive trot my shoulder over | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| The moon upon my right was chasing. | 9 | ·······/˘ |
| From thee I rode: other dreams now.... | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| My loving soul now sad was, | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| And the moon at left my side | 7 | ······· |
| Companion mine now sad was. | 7 | ˘/˘···· |
| To dreaming thus in quiet ever | 9 | ·/˘··/˘/˘ |
| Singers we are given over; | 8 | /˘··/˘·· |
| Marks thus of superstition | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| Soul's feeling with are in accord! | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| The clouds again are o'er me, | 7 | ··˘/··· |
| Have gathered in the stillness; | 8 | ·/˘˘··/˘ |
| Again me with misfortune | 7 | ˘/··˘/˘ |
| Envious fate now threatens. | 7 | /˘˘··/˘ |
| Will I keep my defiance? | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| Will I bring against her | 6 | ······ |
| The firmness and patience | 6 | ·/˘·/˘ |
| Of my youthful pride? | 5 | ··/˘· |
| Wearied by a stormy life | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| I await the storm fretless | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| Perhaps once more safe again | 7 | ˘/···˘/ |
| A harbor shall I find.... | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| But I feel the parting nigh, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| Unavoidable, fearful hour, | 9 | ·˘/˘˘/˘/˘ |
| To press thy hand for the last time | 8 | ········ |
| I haste to thee, my angel. | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Angel gentle, angel calm, | 7 | /˘/˘/˘· |
| Gently tell me: fare thee well. | 7 | /˘····· |
| Be thou grieved: thy tender gaze | 8 | ···˘·/˘· |
| Either drop or to me raise. | 7 | /˘····· |
| The memory of thee now shall | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| To my soul replace | 5 | ····/ |
| The strength, the pride and the hope, | 7 | ······· |
| The daring of my former days! | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.