In May 1985, the Official Language School (EOI) in Alicante organised its End-of-Year Festival, and I recited Pushkin’s “Няне” (“Nianie”: “To the Nanny”) in Russian.
Pushkin (1799–1837) is perhaps the greatest figure in Russian literature. In 1826, he wrote this short, tender poem dedicated to the woman who had been his nanny, Arina Rodionova, whose photograph is the featured image for this post.
Ever since then, this poem has stayed with me.
The English translation of this poem would be:
TO THE NANNY
My companion through my harsh days,
My frail little dove!
Alone in the depths of the pine forests,
You have been waiting for me for so long, so long.
Beneath the window of your little room,
You grieve, it seems as time goes by,
And the needles move ever so slowly, minute by minute,
In your wrinkled hands.
You gaze through the forgotten gate
At the distant, dark road:
Longing, foreboding, and worry
Constantly weigh upon your breast.
I’m posting a video here of me reciting it in Russian, more than forty years on, and now with my own many wrinkles and longings…
May this brief post serve as a small homage to the rich Russian culture that left such a mark on me during my adolescence, my teen years.
And may this brief post also serve as a tribute to María, the nanny I had since I was one until I was four years old…
