Александр Сергеевич Пушкин
Медный Всадник
Люблю тебя, Петра творенье,Люблю твой строгий, стройный вид,Невы державное теченье,Береговой ее гранит,Твоих оград узор чугунный,Твоих задумчивых ночейПрозрачный сумрак, блеск безлунный,Когда я в комнате моейПишу, читаю без лампады,И ясны спящие громадыПустынных улиц, и светлаАдмиралтейская игла.
Translation:
Bronze Rider
Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin
.
.
I love you, place of Peter's making, I love your stern and stylish face, The Neva's mighty current breaking on her embankment's granite grace, The wrought-iron patterns of your fences, Your twilight's clear and thoughtful gloom. On summer evenings, shining moonless, When I sit sleepless in my room, And write and read and need no lanterns: How gleam the buildings, sleepless monsters, On streets deserted! And I see The Needle of the Admiralty.
.
.
This was the poem I had to memorize for my Russian class. We all recited our poems recently at a program in the Arts and Heritage Center in Ada on 13 November 2008. A music professor from East Central University sang. We recited our poems throughout the program. Also, the program was professionally recorded so I will have a copy of it soon!
.
Also I would like to point out that this is only a very small portion of the poem. The poem is about a man that wakes up in St. Petersburg during a storm and then sees the statue of Peter the Great (photo above) come alive and ride around the city. This poem is actually written on the base of the monument (it is on the other side in this photo).