Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin met Natalya Nikolaevna Goncharova in December 1828 at a Moscow ball, and her beauty captivated the poet. After lengthy courtships and obstacles, they married on February 18, 1831, and Natalya Nikolaevna became not only his wife but also the great poet's muse. Pushkin dedicated numerous lyrical poems to his wife, extolling her beauty, tenderness, and the special feeling she awakened in his heart. These poems express admiration for his beloved's incomparable appearance, profound gratitude for their family happiness, and a reverent attitude toward the woman who became his guardian angel. Pushkin's poetry about Natalya Nikolaevna is a confession of a loving heart, captured in perfect verse.
Content
Collapse
Madonna
I never desired to adorn my abode with a multitude of paintings by ancient masters, so that visitors might marvel superstitiously, heeding the weighty judgment of connoisseurs. In my simple corner, amidst my slow labors, I desired to be eternally the spectator of one painting, one: so that from the canvas, as from clouds, the Most Pure One and our divine savior—she with majesty, he with understanding in his eyes—would gaze upon me, meek, in glory and in rays, alone, without angels, beneath the palm of Zion. My wishes have been fulfilled. The Creator has sent you to me, you, my Madonna, the purest example of purest beauty.
When in my arms...
When I embrace your slender figure and rapturously lavish upon you tender words of love, silently, freeing your flexible figure from the restrained hands, you answer me, dear friend, with a distrustful smile; diligently remembering the treacherous legends of betrayal, you listen to me sadly, without sympathy or attention... I curse the treacherous efforts of my criminal youth and the expectations of conventional meetings in gardens, in the silence of the nights. I curse the whispers of love, the mysterious melody of verses, and the light caresses, and the murmurs of the deceived and maidens.
It's time, my friend, it's time!
It's time, my friend, it's time! My heart cries for peace—day after day flies, and every hour carries away a piece of existence, while you and I, together, suppose to live, and lo and behold—we die. There is no happiness in this world, but there is peace and freedom. I have long dreamed of an enviable fate—for long, a weary slave, I have planned my escape to a distant abode of toil and pure bliss.
I loved you...
I loved you: love may not yet have died out entirely in my soul; But let it not trouble you any longer; I do not wish to sadden you in any way. I loved you silently, hopelessly, Tormented now by timidity, now by jealousy; I loved you so sincerely, so tenderly, As God grant you to be loved by another.
Gorgeous
Everything in her is harmony, everything is marvelous, Everything is above the world and passions; She rests bashfully in her solemn beauty; She looks around herself: She has no rivals, no friends; The pale circle of our beauties disappears in her radiance. Wherever you rush, Even to a love rendezvous, Whatever secret dream you cherish in your heart, - But, meeting her, embarrassed, you Suddenly stop involuntarily, Reverently worshipping Before the shrine of beauty.
TO***
I remember a wondrous moment: You appeared before me, Like a fleeting vision, Like a genius of pure beauty. In the languor of hopeless sadness, In the worries of noisy vanity, Your gentle voice rang out to me for a long time And I dreamed of your dear features. Years passed. The rebellious gust of storms Scattered former dreams, And I forgot your gentle voice, Your heavenly features. In the wilderness, in the darkness of confinement, My days dragged quietly on, Without a deity, without inspiration, Without tears, without life, without love. Awakening came to my soul: And now you have appeared again, Like a fleeting vision, Like a genius of pure beauty. And the heart beats in rapture, And for it, Divinity, and inspiration, And life, and tears, and love have been resurrected anew.
Her eyes
She is sweet, I will say meanwhile, not that I am clouded by passion, I was given as a sacrifice to one, but even in the presence of many I was captivated. Her eyes are two quiet night lakes, where the heavenly stars rest in the depths, where the mysteries of God in their rays blessed the world with a tender veil. In them is reflected a solemn peace, wondrous grandeur and meek humility, as if an angel, not himself, hid his reverence in them. O, gaze! by which I am tormented, involuntarily I stand in awe, and, with your angelic gaze, I pray, as to God, to you alone.
Night silence
The silence of the night. She rests in the arms of sleep, like a serene angel, and a golden curl flows gently down her shoulder, like moonlight. I stand above her. My soul is filled with quiet rapture, with restless joy: oh, how beautiful is her sinless sleep, how pure is the beauty destined for me! I pray to God: protect her, shelter her from storms and fatal malice, let the angels guard her peace! And I, bending down, kiss her brow, so that at this moment she will see in a dream how devoted I am, how faithful I am to my wife.
Belle of the ball
She reigned at the ball—Around her were raptures, glances, And whispers of envy, And arguments, And the play of languid feelings. I stood to the side in the corner, I watched her in the patterns Of brilliant dresses, In the choirs Of praise resounding at the ball. But I knew the secret: under the crown Of the crowd—she is mine forever, And those wondrous cheeks, And those clear eyes, And those shoulders, covered With a thread of pearls, like a thunderstorm—All this—for me alone, When the ball falls silent, And the candles Go out, And in the distant night We return to our native darkness.
Her smile
Her smile is a ray of spring dawn, That awakened dreams in my soul; Her smile is a reflection of that imperishable, Heavenly, unearthly beauty. In it there is bliss and sweet humility, And a quiet light of peace of soul, As if angelic singing Shine through that smile in the silence. When I see her happy gaze And the welcoming curve of her lips, I forget the jealous world, All past mistakes and grievances. Oh, may she always smile at me, May she shine for me in the fog of stormy days! May my heart beat with joy When I see the gaze of her eyes!
My keeper
When my soul, in rebellious melancholy, is ready to consign everything to damnation and fire, when I am my own hopeless enemy, I cherish only one bright image. That image of you is my guardian! In it I see everything pure, holy, beautiful, like a prayer stand in a temple, that illuminates my earthly wanderings. You are my angel, sent to me by fate, to tame my fiery illness, to give peace to my tormented soul, to be a consolation amidst separation. Blessed be you, my joy, my quiet light, my earthly grace! I need nothing else, only to see, hear, and love you again.
In the family circle
In the family circle, amidst the peace of home, Where joy is simple, but dearest to the heart, Where there is no vanity, where there is no glitter of yesterday, Where a light burns quietly in the middle of the night - This is my happiness! This is the desired reward For the storms of past, rebellious years! Here you are, my life, my unexpected joy, Here are children, here is a world without worries and shackles. Oh, may those days of frivolity never return, When, driven by blind passions, I sought pleasures without meaning and purpose, Wandering in the darkness of empty roads! Now I have found what my heart was looking for: Family, silence and a beloved hearth, And you - like a shrine that God sent to me, To make me a man from a poet.
You are my deity
You are my deity, my bright miracle, You are my heavenly angel, my quiet peace, Before your face, as before an icon, I will forever glorify you with both soul and prayer. You are beautiful, like a bright spring morning, Like the radiance of stars in the silence of the night, Like a dream that once warmed my heart And remained forever with me, with me. I pray to you, my gentle fairy, You are my salvation from fatal passions, Without you, my soul, eternally grieving, Would not know happiness in the earthly worlds. Be blessed, my earthly angel, Be protected by fate and the heavenly hand!
Prayer for her
Lord! I pray to you for her, for the one who is dearer to me than life, protect her from storms and executions, from evil, from slander, from funeral feasts. Let her beautiful brow know no sorrowful wrinkles, let her live in harmony with her soul among the hours. Let her days shine happily, let her know neither envy, nor malice, nor resentment, let her heart be free from guilt. And for me - only let me bow at her feet, only let me serve her to the end, only let me put my whole life into the faces of her beautiful crown.
A parting glance
When the hour comes—I know it—when fate takes me to its lands, with my last glance I will see your bright face and quietly whisper: "Farewell, my love." Let me be forgotten in this world, let my ashes scatter amid storms and thunderstorms, but the memory of you, as if fused with eternal light, will remain with me, wherever I take it. You are the best that was given to me, you are the happiness that I knew on earth, and I will carry with me into eternity, like a holy word, your image in the heavenly darkness. Farewell! May the Almighty protect you, may your life be as bright as day, and sometimes remember the poet—who has not forgotten your eyes—who has left this shadow.