I Loved You (poem)

"I Loved You" (Russian: Я вас любил - Ya vas lyubíl) is a poem by Alexander Pushkin written in 1829 and published in 1830. It has been described as "the quintessential statement of the theme of lost love" in Russian poetry,[1] and an example of Pushkin's respectful attitude towards women.[2]

Original version
Dargomyzhsky's setting of the poem.

Text

Cyrillic

Я вас любил: любовь ещё, быть может,
В душе моей угасла не совсем;
Но пусть она вас больше не тревожит;
Я не хочу печалить вас ничем.
Я вас любил безмолвно, безнадежно,
То робостью, то ревностью томим;
Я вас любил так искренно, так нежно,
Как дай вам Бог любимой быть другим.

Romanization

Ya vas lyubíl: lyubóv' eshchyó, byt' mózhet,
V dushé moyéy ugásla ne sovsém;
No pust' oná vas ból'she ne trevózhit;
Ya ne khochú pechálit' vas nichém.
Ya vas lyubíl bezmólvno, beznadézhno,
To róbost'yu, to révnost'yu tomím;
Ya vas lyubíl tak ískrenno, tak nézhno,
Kak day vam Bokh lyubímoy byt' drugím.

Translation

I loved you, and I probably still do.
And for a while the feeling may remain.
But let my love no longer trouble you,
I do not wish to cause you any pain.
I loved you; and the hopelessness I knew,
The jealousy, the shyness- though in vain-
Made up a love so tender and so true
As may God grant you to be loved again.

Summary of the poem

Pushkin expresses his affectionate feelings towards a lady in this poem. He is very much carried away by the beauty of the lady. At the same time, he doesn't want to be very possessive about her. The poet is neither sad nor happy when the lady left him. Even after losing the girl, the poet remains respectful to her.

The poet is not selfish and doesn't want to fight to get back the girl. He just wants to keep her in his heart for a while. The greatest test of love is the ability to wish good for the other person even if you lose the person.

Cultural references

Settings in music
  • "I Loved You", a song by the composer Dargomyzhsky 1832
  • "I Loved You", a song by the composer Alexander Alyabyev 1834
  • "I Loved You", a song by the composer Boris Sheremetev 1859
  • "I Loved You," a song by the composer and arranger Claus Ogermann 1973

Film

The poem has various references in Soviet and Russian film.[3] Most recently in I Loved You, a trilogy of documentaries by Viktor Kossakovsky.

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References
  1. Irena Grudzińska-Gross Czeslaw Milosz and Joseph Brodsky 2009 Page 123 "Pushkin's “Ia vas liubil” [I loved you] is the quintessential statement of the theme of lost love, after which any other treatment of it seems indecorous."
  2. The Indian Journal of Russian Language, Literature, and Culture 1984 "His poem "I loved you" is a true example of his respectful attitude towards women. I loved you, and that love, to die refusing, May Still — who knows — be smouldering in my breast. Pray, be not pained believe me, of my choosing I'd never have ..."
  3. Soviet Film 1968 Page 33 ""I Loved You" is a line from one of Pushkin's lyrical poems. The director chose the title with great care. The poem is an integral part of the story, it is a participant in the moral development of the young participants in this poetic film. ... "
  • "Pushkin: I loved you once..." From the Ends to the Beginning: A Bilingual Web Anthology of Russian Verse. Retrieved 2017-08-15.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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