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# Translation: The Shoreline, by Pushkin
- URL: https://www.hawkword.com/poetry/translation-the-shoreline-by-pushkin/
- Published: 2021-07-16T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2021-07-16T12:00:00.000Z
- Description: A mighty oak stands by the shoreline A golden chain nailed to its bark And on that chain, a wise old feline Walks back and forth along an arc On turning right, it spins a ballad On turning left, a fairy tale There’s m...
- Author: A. Gee
- Tags: Poetry, Allpoetry Import, #Import 2026-04-25 19:56

A mighty oak stands by the shoreline  
A golden chain nailed to its bark  
And on that chain, a wise old feline  
Walks back and forth along an arc  
On turning right, it spins a ballad  
On turning left, a fairy tale  
There’s magic there, a wondrous palette  
A mermaid beckons with her tail

Trails you can’t see and cannot walk on  
Hide traces of forgotten beasts  
A hut with chicken feet to stand on  
Prepares the children for a feast

The nearby woods are full of frights  
And in the morning, with the tide  
The sandy and abandoned beach  
Will welcome thirty handsome knights  
And each one ready for a fight  
Their uncle last into the breach

A minor prince, questing for glory  
Enslaves a formidable tsar  
And in the clouds, you’ve heard the story  
A wizard’s coming from afar  
And in his arms, a warrior

A princess in a dungeon, grim  
Her dire wolf obeys each whim  
A mortar holding Baba Yaga  
Is wandering in its own saga

A dragon king pines for his gold  
There’s Russian spirit there, of old

I’ve been there, and I drank their mead  
And saw the green oak by the shore  
Sat underneath it and the cat  
Told me his tales of nevermore.

---

**Author notes:** For my 100th poem on the site, I'll post a translation of Pushkin's The Shoreline, from the prelude to Ruslan & Ludmilla -- it's kind of a romp through famous Russian fairy tales Russian naturally rhymes much better than English, and Pushkin, one of the world's greatest poets, is a completely effortless rhymer, each word coming forward like a Mozart note. Far be it from me to assume I achieved anything of the sort, but I stayed true to both the meter, rhythm and rhyme scheme, the story, and tried to convey the fairy tale story. The original Russian text: У лукоморья дуб зелёный; Златая цепь на дубе том: И днём и ночью кот учёный Всё ходит по цепи кругом; Идёт направо — песнь заводит, Налево — сказку говорит. Там чудеса: там леший бродит, Русалка на ветвях сидит; Там на неведомых дорожках Следы невиданных зверей; Избушка там на курьих ножках Стоит без окон, без дверей; Там лес и дол видений полны; Там о заре прихлынут волны На брег песчаный и пустой, И тридцать витязей прекрасных Чредой из вод выходят ясных, И с ними дядька их морской; Там королевич мимоходом Пленяет грозного царя; Там в облаках перед народом Через леса, через моря Колдун несёт богатыря; В темнице там царевна тужит, А бурый волк ей верно служит; Там ступа с Бабою Ягой Идёт, бредёт сама собой, Там царь Кащей над златом чахнет; Там русский дух... там Русью пахнет! И там я был, и мёд я пил; У моря видел дуб зелёный; Под ним сидел, и кот учёный Свои мне сказки говорил.