Eugene Onegin

Chapter One

And hastens to live, and hurries to feel. Prince Vyazemsky

I

"My uncle of most honest principles, When he fell seriously ill, He made himself be respected And could not have devised better. His example is a lesson to others; But, my God, what a bore To sit with a sick man day and night, Not departing a step away! What base cunning To amuse the half-alive, To adjust his pillows, Sadly bring him medicine, To sigh and think to oneself: When will the devil take you!"

II

Thus thought the young rake, Flying in the dust on post horses, By the supreme will of Zeus The heir of all his relatives. — Friends of Ludmila and Ruslan! With the hero of my novel Without introductions, this very moment Allow me to acquaint you: Onegin, my good friend, Was born on the banks of the Neva, Where perhaps you were born Or shone, my reader; There once I too wandered: But the north is harmful to me.

III

Having served excellently-nobly, His father lived on debts, Gave three balls annually And finally squandered everything. Fate preserved Eugene: First Madame looked after him, Then Monsieur replaced her; The child was lively, but sweet. Monsieur l'Abbé, a poor Frenchman, So the child would not be exhausted, Taught him everything in jest, Did not bore with strict morality, Scolded him lightly for pranks And took him walking in the Summer Garden.

IV

When the time of turbulent youth Came to Eugene, The time of hopes and tender sadness, Monsieur was driven from the yard. Here is my Onegin at liberty; Hair cut in the latest fashion; Dressed like a London dandy — And finally saw society. He could express himself perfectly In French and write; Danced the mazurka easily And bowed without constraint; What more do you need? Society decided That he was clever and very nice.

V

We all learned a little Of something and somehow, So with education, thank God, It's not hard to shine among us. Onegin was, in the opinion of many (Decisive and strict judges), A learned fellow, but a pedant. He had the happy talent Without constraint in conversation To touch upon everything lightly, With the learned air of a connoisseur To keep silence in important disputes And to provoke the ladies' smiles With the fire of unexpected epigrams.

VI

Latin has gone out of fashion now: So, to tell you the truth, He knew enough Latin To decipher epigraphs, To discourse about Juvenal, To put vale at the...