Tumansky's Right When He
Tumansky's Right When He - meaning Summary
Comparisons Fail to Capture
The poem addresses a beloved—likely Pushkin’s wife—and offers a sequence of vivid comparisons: rainbow, rose, and brook. Each image highlights different traits: beauty, changeability, allure that both delights and wounds, and purity tempered by coolness. Yet the speaker concludes that all metaphors fail; her charm and face exceed poetic comparison. The tone mixes admiration, affectionate teasing, and the admission that language is inadequate.
Read Complete AnalysesTumansky’s right when he compared you, So well with an alive rain-bow: You’re sweet, as she is in the heavens blue, And just like her, you’re changeable in soul. And you are like the rose of a past spring: Like her, to our wonder, endless, You blossom in a gorgeous thing And sting – let our Father bless you. But most of all I like the image yours As a fresh brook – It gladdens my heart, poor: You’re pure like him with mind and heart, of course, And colder than he is, for sure. All comparisons, rest, aren’t good enough for praise That’s not Bard’s fault – unreal is his mission – You’re, with a charm of heart and with a charm of face, By mischance! beyond comparison. Translated by Yevgeny Bonver
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