Bronze Horseman

There, on the marge so desolate He stood, with mighty thoughts elate And sorry skiff Of Neva drifted seaward! The moss-grown miry bank with rare Hovels were dotted here and there The murm'ring woodlands On sunshine, all in misty shroud O' sunshine higher, in misty shroud The statue's rising o'er nations' crowd Here And thus He mused "From here, indeed Shall we strike terror Onto the Swede?" And here a city By our labour Founded, shall gall Our haughty neighbour "Here cut" - so Nature gives command "Your window through On Europe; stand! Gem of the North, amazing In pride and splendour blazing Where once, low-lying shore In waters never known 'fore Those shores, astir with motion And towers on the ocean The Neva's clad in granite With bridge to overspan it Islands lie beneath a screen Of gardens Deep in dusky green of waters Silent That you eye! I love thy stone harmonies so austere Along your glum banks of granite sheer Thy tracery irony gates and your sparkling And thy transparent twilight darkling "The Bronze Horseman Thou art the guard of burg!" Smoke from thy forts: thy booming gun Empire holds its celebration Now, Petersburg, stand thou fast Foursquare vaunt thy nation's splendour! So we sing the hosanna To the city of sea This ain't fata morgana But the autocracy For Ye! Our legacy!