The Sea Princess
M. Iu. Lermontov
In the sea the tsarevich was bathing his horse,
He hears: “Tsarevich, look at me!”
The steed snorts and pricks his ears,
Splashes and splatters, and swims away.
The tsarevich hears: I’m a tsar’s daughter;
Do you want to spend the night with a tsarevna?”
And a hand appears out of the water,
To seize the tassles of the silky bridle.
Then emerged a young head:
Seaweed was wound in the braid,
The blue eyes burn with love,
The splashes on her neck tremble like pearls.
The tsarevich thinks: “Fine, just wait!”
He deftly seizes the braid in his hand.
He holds on. A warrior’s hand is strong…
She cries, and prays, and thrashes.
The hero boldly swims to the shore;
comes out, loudly calls his comrades:
“Hey, you! Come here, brave friends!
Look how my catch thrashes…
Why are you standing in an embarrassed throng?
Have you never seen such a beauty?”
The tsarevich looked back:
He gasped! his triumphant gaze faded.
He sees: there lies on the golden sand
A sea marvel with a green tail.
The tail, covered with snake scales,
All palpitating, curling, trembles.
Foam in streams flows from her brow,
Mortal darkness has covered her eyes.
Her pale hands grasp the sand,
Her lips whisper an incomprehensible reproach…
The tsarevich rides pensively away…
He will remember the tsar’s daughter!
(1841)