* * *

What means my name to you?.. 'Twil die
As does the melancholy rumour
Of distant waves, or, of a summer,
The forest's hushed nocturnal sigh.

Found on a fading album page,
Dim will it seem and enigmatic,
Like words traced on a tomb, a relic
Of some long dead and vanished age.

What's in my name?.. Long since forgot,
Erased by new, tempestuous passion,
Of tenderness 'twill leave you not
The lingering and sweet impression.

But in an hour of agony,
Pray, speak it, and recall my image,
And say, «He still remembers me,
His heart alone still pays me homage.»

Translated by Irina Zheleznova

A.S. Pushkin. “What means my name to you?..”. Translated by Irina Zheleznova // Alexander Pushkin. Collected Works: Parallel Russian Text and English Translation.
© Электронная публикация — РВБ, 2022—2024. Версия 2.1 от 30 ноября 2023 г.