2. 32. Евгений Онегин Eugene Onegin English transl

ЕВГЕНИЙ ОНЕГИН. СТИХОТВОРНЫЙ ПЕРЕВОД НА АНГЛИЙСКИЙ. EUGENE ONEGIN THE NOVEL IN VERSE BY A.S. PUSHKIN VERSE INTERPRETATION BY LARISSA SENEGAL

Глава II-XXXII

Привычка усладила горе,
Неотразимое ничем;
Открытие большое вскоре
Ее утешило совсем:

Она меж делом и досугом
Открыла тайну, как супругом
Самодержавно управлять,
И всё тогда пошло на стать.
Она езжала по работам,
Солила на зиму грибы,
Вела расходы, брила лбы,
Ходила в баню по субботам,
Служанок била осердясь -
Все это мужа не спросясь.

     *   *   *

Chapter II-XXXII

Habit had soothed her sorrow's sting,
Irresistible, in everything;
A great discovery soon did bring
Comfort complete, upon her wing:

In the midst of toil and leisure,
She unveiled a hidden treasure,
A secret to govern her husband,
And all things then did come to hand.

She ran out to do some errands,
Salted the mushrooms for winter's stalls,
Kept household books, and shaved recruits'* polls,
Went to the baths on Saturdays, enthralled,
Beat maidservants, in anger's sway -
All this, without her husband's say.

* Shave recruits –a tradition to shave foreheads of serfs before they were recruited