Books Should Be Free Loyal Books Free Public Domain Audiobooks & eBook Downloads |
|
Eugene Oneguine [Onegin] A Romance of Russian Life in Verse By: Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin (1799-1837) |
---|
![]()
EUGENE ONEGUINE [Onegin]: A Romance of Russian Life in Verse by ALEXANDER PUSHKIN Translated from the Russian by Lieut. Col. [Henry] Spalding London
Macmillan and Co.
1881
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.
CONTENTS Mon Portrait
A Short Biographical Notice of Alexander Pushkin
Eugene Oneguine
Canto I: "The Spleen"
Canto II: The Poet
Canto III: The Country Damsel
Canto IV: Rural Life
Canto V: The Fete
Canto VI: The Duel
Canto VII: Moscow
Canto VIII: The Great World
Mon Portrait Written by the poet at the age of 15. Vous me demandez mon portrait,
Mais peint d'apres nature:
Mon cher, il sera bientot fait,
Quoique en miniature. Je suis un jeune polisson
Encore dans les classes;
Point sot, je le dis sans facon,
Et sans fades grimaces. Oui! il ne fut babillard
Ni docteur de Sorbonne,
Plus ennuyeux et plus braillard
Que moi meme en personne. Ma taille, a celle des plus longs,
Elle n'est point egalee;
J'ai le teint frais, les cheveux blonds,
Et la tete bouclee. J'aime et le monde et son fracas,
Je hais la solitude;
J'abhorre et noises et debats,
Et tant soit peu l'etude. Spectacles, bals, me plaisent fort,
Et d'apres ma pensee,
Je dirais ce que j'aime encore,
Si je n'etais au Lycee. Apres cela, mon cher ami,
L'on peut me reconnaitre,
Oui! tel que le bon Dieu me fit,
Je veux toujours paraitre... Continue reading book >>
|
Genres for this book |
---|
Fiction |
Languages |
eBook links |
---|
Wikipedia – Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin |
Wikipedia – Eugene Oneguine [Onegin] A Romance of Russian Life in Verse |
eBook Downloads | |
---|---|
ePUB eBook • iBooks for iPhone and iPad • Nook • Sony Reader |
Kindle eBook • Mobi file format for Kindle |
Read eBook • Load eBook in browser |
Text File eBook • Computers • Windows • Mac |
Review this book |
---|