"Look, the church of God! 320
Sign the cross we twain
Time and time again….
'Grant, O blessed Lord,
Thy most fair reward
To the gentle heart
Of Elyénushka,
Alexándrovna!'
"Green the forest grows,
Green the pretty fields,
In each dip and dell 330
Bright a mirror gleams.
Oh, how fair it is
In God's world to-day,
Glad my heart and gay!
Like the snowy swan
O'er the lake I sail,
O'er the waving steppes
Speeding like the quail.
"Here we are at home.
Through the door I fly 340
Like the pigeon grey;
Low the family
Bow at sight of me,
Nearly to the ground,
Pardon they beseech
For the way in which
They have treated me.
'Sit you down,' I say,
'Do not bow to me.
Listen to my words: 350
You must bow to one
Better far than I,
Stronger far than I,
Sing your praise to her.'
"'Sing to whom,' you say?
'To Elyénushka,
To the fairest soul
God has sent on earth:
Alexándrovna!'"
CHAPTER VIII
THE WOMAN'S LEGEND
Matróna is silent.
You see that the peasants
Have seized the occasion—
They are not forgetting
To drink to the health
Of the beautiful lady!
But noticing soon
That Matróna is silent,
In file they approach her.
"What more will you tell us?" 10
"What more?" says Matróna,
"My fame as the 'lucky one'
Spread through the volost,
Since then they have called me
'The Governor's Lady.'
You ask me, what further?
I managed the household,
And brought up my children.
You ask, was I happy?
Well, that you can answer 20
Yourselves. And my children?
Five sons! But the peasant's
Misfortunes are endless:
They've robbed me of one."
She lowers her voice,
And her lashes are trembling,
But turning her head
She endeavours to hide it.
The peasants are rather
Confused, but they linger: 30
"Well, neighbour," they say,
"Will you tell us no more?"
"There's one thing: You're foolish
To seek among women
For happiness, brothers."