Eugene Oneguine [Onegin] Part 16

Bruin is marching at her back!

XIII

She, to turn back her eyes afraid, Accelerates her hasty pace, But cannot anyhow evade Her s.h.a.ggy myrmidon in chase.

The bear rolls on with many a grunt: A forest now she sees in front With fir-trees standing motionless In melancholy loveliness, Their branches by the snow bowed down.

Through aspens, limes and birches bare, The s.h.i.+ning orbs of night appear; There is no path; the storm hath strewn Both bush and brake, ravine and steep, And all in snow is buried deep.

XIV

The wood she enters--bear behind,-- In snow she sinks up to the knee; Now a long branch itself entwined Around her neck, now violently Away her golden earrings tore; Now the sweet little shoes she wore, Grown clammy, stick fast in the snow; Her handkerchief she loses now; No time to pick it up! afraid, She hears the bear behind her press, Nor dares the skirting of her dress For shame lift up the modest maid.

She runs, the bear upon her trail, Until her powers of running fail.

XV

She sank upon the snow. But Bruin Adroitly seized and carried her; Submissive as if in a swoon, She cannot draw a breath or stir.

He dragged her by a forest road Till amid trees a hovel showed, By barren snow heaped up and bound, A tangled wilderness around.

Bright blazed the window of the place, Within resounded shriek and shout: "My chum lives here," Bruin grunts out.

"Warm yourself here a little s.p.a.ce!"

Straight for the entrance then he made And her upon the threshold laid.

XVI

Recovering, Tania gazes round; Bear gone--she at the threshold placed; Inside clink gla.s.ses, cries resound As if it were some funeral feast.

But deeming all this nonsense pure, She peeped through a c.h.i.n.k of the door.

What doth she see? Around the board Sit many monstrous shapes abhorred.

A canine face with horns thereon, Another with c.o.c.k's head appeared, Here an old witch with hirsute beard, There an imperious skeleton; A dwarf adorned with tail, again A shape half cat and half a crane.

XVII

Yet ghastlier, yet more wonderful, A crab upon a spider rides, Perched on a goose's neck a skull In scarlet cap revolving glides.

A windmill too a jig performs And wildly waves its arms and storms; Barking, songs, whistling, laughter coa.r.s.e, The speech of man and tramp of horse.

But wide Tattiana oped her eyes When in that company she saw Him who inspired both love and awe, The hero we immortalize.

Oneguine sat the table by And viewed the door with cunning eye.

XVIII

All bustle when he makes a sign: He drinks, all drink and loudly call; He smiles, in laughter all combine; He knits his brows--'tis silent all.

He there is master--that is plain; Tattiana courage doth regain And grown more curious by far Just placed the entrance door ajar.

The wind rose instantly, blew out The fire of the nocturnal lights; A trouble fell upon the sprites; Oneguine lightning glances shot; Furious he from the table rose; All arise. To the door he goes.

XIX

Terror a.s.sails her. Hastily Tattiana would attempt to fly, She cannot--then impatiently She strains her throat to force a cry-- She cannot--Eugene oped the door And the young girl appeared before Those h.e.l.lish phantoms. Peals arise Of frantic laughter, and all eyes And hoofs and crooked snouts and paws, Tails which a bushy tuft adorns, Whiskers and b.l.o.o.d.y tongues and horns, Sharp rows of tushes, bony claws, Are turned upon her. All combine In one great shout: she's mine! she's mine!

XX

"Mine!" cried Eugene with savage tone.

The troop of apparitions fled, And in the frosty night alone Remained with him the youthful maid.

With tranquil air Oneguine leads Tattiana to a corner, bids Her on a shaky bench sit down; His head sinks slowly, rests upon Her shoulder--Olga swiftly came-- And Lenski followed--a light broke-- His fist Oneguine fiercely shook And gazed around with eyes of flame; The unbidden guests he roughly chides-- Tattiana motionless abides.

XXI

The strife grew furious and Eugene Grasped a long knife and instantly Struck Lenski dead--across the scene Dark shadows thicken--a dread cry Was uttered, and the cabin shook-- Tattiana terrified awoke.

She gazed around her--it was day.

Lo! through the frozen windows play Aurora's ruddy rays of light-- The door flew open--Olga came, More blooming than the Boreal flame And swifter than the swallow's flight.

"Come," she cried, "sister, tell me e'en Whom you in slumber may have seen."

XXII

But she, her sister never heeding, With book in hand reclined in bed, Page after page continued reading, But no reply unto her made.

Although her book did not contain The bard's enthusiastic strain, Nor precepts sage nor pictures e'en, Yet neither Virgil nor Racine Nor Byron, Walter Scott, nor Seneca, Nor the _Journal des Modes_, I vouch, Ever absorbed a maid so much: Its name, my friends, was Martin Zadeka, The chief of the Chaldean wise, Who dreams expound and prophecies.

XXIII

Brought by a pedlar vagabond Unto their solitude one day, This monument of thought profound Tattiana purchased with a stray Tome of "Malvina," and but three(56) And a half rubles down gave she; Also, to equalise the scales, She got a book of nursery tales, A grammar, likewise Petriads two, Marmontel also, tome the third; Tattiana every day conferred With Martin Zadeka. In woe She consolation thence obtained-- Inseparable they remained.

[Note 56: "Malvina," a romance by Madame Cottin.]

XXIV

The dream left terror in its train.

Not knowing its interpretation, Tania the meaning would obtain Of such a dread hallucination.

Tattiana to the index flies And alphabetically tries The words _bear, bridge, fir, darkness, bog, Raven, snowstorm, tempest, fog, Et cetera_; but nothing showed Her Martin Zadeka in aid, Though the foul vision promise made Of a most mournful episode, And many a day thereafter laid A load of care upon the maid.

XXV

"But lo! forth from the valleys dun With purple hand Aurora leads, Swift following in her wake, the sun,"(57) And a grand festival proceeds.

The Larinas were since sunrise O'erwhelmed with guests; by families The neighbours come, in sledge approach, Britzka, kibitka, or in coach.

Crush and confusion in the hall, Latest arrivals' salutations, Barking, young ladies' osculations, Shouts, laughter, jamming 'gainst the wall, Bows and the sc.r.a.pe of many feet, Nurses who scream and babes who bleat.

[Note 57: The above three lines are a parody on the turgid style of Lomonossoff, a literary man of the second Catherine's era.]

XXVI

Bringing his partner corpulent Fat Poustiakoff drove to the door; Gvozdine, a landlord excellent, Oppressor of the wretched poor; And the Skatenines, aged pair, With all their progeny were there, Who from two years to thirty tell; Petoushkoff, the provincial swell; Bouyanoff too, my cousin, wore(58) His wadded coat and cap with peak (Surely you know him as I speak); And Flianoff, pensioned councillor, Rogue and extortioner of yore, Now buffoon, glutton, and a bore.

[Note 58: Pushkin calls Bouyanoff his cousin because he is a character in the "Dangerous Neighbour," a poem by Va.s.sili Pushkin, the poet's uncle.]

XXVII

The family of Kharlikoff, Came with Monsieur Triquet, a prig, Who arrived lately from Tamboff, In spectacles and chestnut wig.

Like a true Frenchman, couplets wrought In Tania's praise in pouch he brought, Known unto children perfectly: _Reveillez-vouz, belle endormie_.

Among some ancient ballads thrust, He found them in an almanac, And the sagacious Triquet back To light had brought them from their dust, Whilst he "belle Nina" had the face By "belle Tattiana" to replace.

XXVIII

Lo! from the nearest barrack came, Of old maids the divinity, And comfort of each country dame, The captain of a company.

He enters. Ah! good news to-day!

The military band will play.