К *** [Я помню чудное мгновенье...] [K *** [Ya pomnyu chudnoe mgnoven'e...]] [English translation]

I remember a wonderful instance;

You appeared in front of me;

Like a fleeting existence;

Like a genius of pure beauty.

In a hopelessness without choice,

In the loudest lightless landscape

I head your distant, gentle voice,

And saw your beautiful shape

The passing years scattered time fragmental

And let our dreams together escape

And I forgot your voice most gentle;

Your heavenly shape

In the borderlands without activity

My days trudged by thereof;

Without inspiration, without divinity,

Without tears, without life, without love.

My soul saw closed the distance-

As again you appeared in front of me;

Like a fleeting existence,

Like a genius of pure beauty.

And my heart beat into infinity

Arising from the ashes of,

Of inspiration, of divinity,

Of tears, of life, of love.