Ruslan and Lyudmila by Alexander Pushkin--Delphi Classics (Illustrated) by Alexander Pushkin

Author:Alexander Pushkin [PUSHKIN, ALEXANDER]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Parts Edition 6 of 24 by Delphi Classics
Publisher: Delphi Classics (Parts Edition)
Published: 2017-08-24T00:00:00+00:00

RUSLAN AND LYUDMILA: CANTO THE FIFTH

How dear my princess is, one bows

‘Fore her, to sing her praises anxious:

She is so tender, unpretentious,

So faithful to her marriage vows;

Capricious, yes, but not unduly,

Which makes her only sweeter, truly.

Her ways delight us, they endear

Her to us, leaving us enchanted.

How to compare her with Delphire

Who’s so unfeeling, so flint-hearted!

By fate endowed has been the first

With mien and manner most beguiling;

To hear her speak, to see her smiling

Makes one’s heart throb, with love athirst.

Delphire now, spurs and whiskers added,

Would make a true Hussar. But stay!

Blest is he who at end of day

Has a Ludmila waiting for him

In some lone nook, and from her hears

That he’s her love, that she adores him.

And likewise blest is a Delphire’s

Admirer who is too clear-headed

To court her long and runs away.

But let’s not stray too far. Come, say,

\Vho was it that the dwarf invited

So daringly to fight him? Who

Defiantly the trumpet blew

And by its sound the villain frightened ?-

Ruslan. Afire with vengeance, he

Has reached the midget’s castle. See?

Beneath the palisades he’s halted;

The trumpet’s sound comes storm-like, loud,

The steed paws at the snowy ground;

The prince awaits the dwarf. A bolt of

What seems like thunder deafens him.

A crushing blow! It has descended

Upon his helmet. Though defended

By this his head is, yet with dim,

Dull sight it is he upward gazes

And sees the dwarf above him fly,

A mammoth bludgeon lifted high.

Ruslan bends down, his great shield raises

And waves his sword, but Chernomor

Sweeps upward; then, appearing o’er

The prince again and downward swooping

He flies straight at him, whereupon

The latter feints, his rival duping,

And down the midget falls, straight on

The well-packed snow, with fear nigh frozen.

Ruslan dismounts, and, never pausing,

The space between them neatly cleared,

Grabs the magician by the beard!

The captive grunts and strains, and, heaving

Himself from off the bank of snow,

Sails skyward with our hero, leaving

The knight’s astonished steed below.

They’re ‘neath the clouds, Ruslan still gripping

The beard and swinging in the air.

O’er seas and forests, o’er the bare

And rugged hills, their summits tipping,

The dwarf wings, and the stalwart knight,

Though numb and stiff his hand is growing,

Holds dogged on. The dwarf is quite

Used up by now and winded. Slowing

His progress through the air at length,

Amazed and awed by Russian strength,

He turns to our young knight and slyly

Says to him: “Prince, I’ll do you ill

No more; in faith, I value highly

Young valour such as yours and will

Descend at once-on one condition....”

“Be silent, dastardly magician!”

Ruslan exclaims. “I will not treat

With my beloved bride’s tormentor,

Nor into any dealings enter

With you! This sword-’tis only meet

Will punish you, and this most surel’

All of your wiles will serve you poorly!

Fly to the stars, if you so choose,

And still your whiskers you will lose!”

A horrid fear the wizard seizes,

In vain to free himself he tries,

The prince’s grip is like a vise,

He tweaks the beard, and, gleeful, teases

The dwarf by plucking out the hairs

For two whole days the midget bear

Ruslan, but on the third, a’quiver

With fright, he cries: “Have mercy, pray!

I’ve no breath left at all. Deliver

Me from this plight without delay.

I’m in your hands. Where’er you say

We will alight.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.