Onegin translation

[Jules Levin]

On 1/4/2012 7:24 AM, Josef Malkin wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> For the last three years I was busy translating EO. I finished the rough version about two month ago. Having mostly very positive response, I dare to send to you a sample of my labor, and I would be very grateful for any feedback.
>
> With warm regards,
>
> Josef Malkin.
What you've sent is easy to read, and certainly Pushkinesque. I do not 
have the patience to compare line by line to find out
how well the ideas are translated. But then, I am not a Lit guy, and the 
best "translation" of Onegin I've read is Byron's Don Juan.
Jules Levin
Los Angeles

>
> Not for the lofty nobles' leisure,
> But as a genuine friendship's sign,
> I wished to offer thee a treasure,
> A present, worthy to be thine,
> Worthwhile to be the true ideal
> Of an accomplished, sacred dream,
> Of poetry sincere and real,
> Of higher thoughts, a candid theme;
> Nevertheless, accept this scramble -
> The motley chapters of my rhymes,
> Half melancholic, half amusing,
> Fairly ingenuous, yet musing,
> The careless fruits of jolly times,
> The sleepless nights, brief inspirations,
> My youth, my wilted days, a chart
> Of cold, cerebral observations
> And grievous comments of my heart.
>
> I
>
> “My uncle, of most fair persuasion,
> When taken seriously ill,
> Enforced respect on the occasion -
> His best idea, if you will.
> A deed, for others worth exploring,
> But goodness me, it is so boring
> To nurse the patient day and night
> And never dare to leave his sight!
> False is pretending dedication
> To entertain the almost dead,
> Arrange his pillow, make his bed,
> Serve dolefully his medication,
> To heave a sigh, to wish him well
> And think: “When will you go to hell!”
>
>
> II
>
> This was the young cad's contemplation
> While racing in a dusty coach,
> An heir by Zeus's invocation
> Of all his folks, with no reproach.
> Dear friends of Ruslan and Ludmila!
> Please, make acquaintance with my hero
> Right here, right now, with no delay
> I recommend to you today:
> Onegin, my good friend, arisen
> > From Neva's shores where maybe you,
> My reader, saw the first light too,
> And where your bright star may have risen.
> I've strolled there too. But northern cold
> Is bad for me, so I've been told.
>
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