loader




Poems

page separator

COLLECTION OF PUSHKIN POEMS

For each man has his own pursuits,
His own beloved occupation;
Some like to shoot ducks with a gun;
Madmen like me prefer versification.

~ ALEKSÁNDR SERGÉYEVICH PÚSHKIN

(1799 ~ 1837)

~ ALEKSÁNDR SERGÉYEVICH PÚSHKIN ~
The Father of Modern Russian Literature
(1799 ~ 1837)



Alexander Pushkin (1799~1837), the father of modern Russian literature and born into Russian nobility, was of African heritage and in reality black. Pushkin once quipped, "I write for the same reason that the singer sings, the baker bakes, and the quack kills his patient— for money".

“A poem by Pushkin creates the impression that what he says could never be said otherwise, that each word fits perfectly,” wrote Slavic scholar Marc Slonim, “and that no other words could ever assume a similar function.”

In the following examples of poetry you are treated to Pushkin's wit, sarcastic humor and eloquent use of language. "Countless phrases of his entered the Russian language as Shakespeare’s phrases permeate English. The incomparable mastery of Pushkin’s verse has eluded translation, and much of his wit and wisdom is surprisingly unknown, although, in many ways, Pushkin was by far the most Western of all great Russian writers." ~ Green Lamp Press

You can read more about Pushkin in the Notes section of this website.

·A Prophet ~ in English
Two English language variations of the poem by Pushkin ~ 1826.
Includes a video recitation in Russian by И.Смоктуновский.

·Wandering the Noisy Streets ~ in English
From poems by Pushkin ~ 1829.

·Goblins of the Steppes ~ in English
From poems by Pushkin.

·Epigram on A. A. Davydova ~ in English
From poems by Pushkin ~ 1822.

·My Rubicund Critic, My Full-bellied Mocker ~ in English
From poems by Pushkin ~ 1830.

·I Loved You
From poems by Pushkin ~ 1829.

·The Pushkin Page website offers more Pushkin poems. (Opens in a new window).

page separator