Modern Russian Poetry/"Behold a Sower Went Forth to Sow"

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Modern Russian Poetry
translated by Babette Deutsch and Avrahm Yarmolinsky
"Behold a Sower Went Forth to Sow" by Alexander Pushkin
1558197Modern Russian Poetry — "Behold a Sower Went Forth to Sow"Babette Deutsch and Avrahm YarmolinskyAlexander Pushkin

"BEHOLD A SOWER WENT FORTH TO SOW"

With freedom's seed the desert sowing,
I walked before the morning star;
From pure and guiltless fingers throwing—
Where slavish plows had left a scar—
The fecund seed, the procreator;
Oh vain and sad disseminator,
I learned then what lost labors are. . . .
Graze if you will, you peaceful nations,
Who never rouse at honor's horn!
Should flocks heed freedom's invocations?
Their part is to be slain or shorn,
Their dower the yoke their sires have worn
Through snug and sheepish generations.

 This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.

Original:

This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse

Translation:

This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse