* translated from the original Russian
Alone I set out on the road;
The flinty path is sparkling in the mist;
The night is still. The desert harks to god,
And star with star converses.
The vault is overwhelmed with solemn wonder
The earth in cobalt aura sleeps. . .
Why do I feel so pained and troubled?
What do I harbor: hope, regrets?
I see no hope in years to come,
Have no regrets for things gone by.
All that I seek is peace and freedom!
To lose myself and sleep!
But not the frozen slumber of the grave …
I’d like eternal sleep to leave
My life force dozing in my breast
Gently with my breath to rise and fall;
By night and day, my hearing would be soothed
By voices sweet, singing to me of love.
And over me, forever green,
A dark oak tree would bend and rustle.
1841
M. Kurushin, “Alone I Set Out on the road.” Illustration for the poem of M. Lermontov from the book “… And the star speaks with the star.” S. 35
Eric Robert Nolan, Author 