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A poem about a nocturnal walk in which the author wanders aimlessly along the water’s edge and through abandoned parks. It is characterized by a soft, murmuring musicality that mirrors its semantic field: night, sea, singing trees, mist, and visions. Near rhymes and echoing sounds create a floating, fluid soundscape, while each return of the refrain resets the movement, reinforcing the poem’s wandering, aimless mood.

Gumilyov’s poem weaves together his fascination with the beauty and mystery of Africa and his wish to lift the spirits of the beloved he addresses. Against the grays and fogs of St Petersburg, his imagined Africa takes living form in the exquisite figure of a giraffe, a creature of grace and radiance.

In this poem, the author contemplated the beauty of the world from two sides - the outer one, inspired by the charms of nature; and the inner one with love as its major incentive.

Written in 1912, this poem belongs to Akhmatova’s early period and is often linked to the emotional turbulence of her relationship with her husband, the poet Nikolay Gumilyov. The poetic speaker seeks solace in nature and celebrates the wisdom of a quiet, orderly existence, gaining a newly sharpened way of sensing the world. In this seemingly modest routine lies a profound inner effort, transforming the loss of a loved one into spiritual balance and poetic clarity.

This poem expresses in short two stanzas a sense of the mingling of eternity with ennui. Eternity is not exalted but weary, transforming immortality into a form of quiet despair rather than transcendence.

This poem is commonly regarded as an address to Lermontov’s cousin Ekaterina Bykhovets, with whom he maintained a tender friendship in the last year of his life. The poem also alludes to the poet’s first love Varvara Lopukhina whose marriage to a different man left him heartbroken.

This page features Brodsky's poem Six Years Later along with a literal and a professional poetic translation into English. Listen to the rendition of the poem in Russian here. Click this link to hear American poet Richard Wilbur talking about translating Brodsky’s Six Years Later.

Among other Pushkin’s poems reflecting upon the special role of a Poet in life, the following one is probably the most well-known. At the core of the poem lies an aristocratic and stoic conception of art: the poet is a sovereign (“You are a king”) who answers only to himself. Pushkin frames poetic creation as both a noble calling and a lonely one, defined by discipline, self-scrutiny, and indifference to public validation.

You’re Falling Asleep is a gentle, intimate piece addressed to a beloved, guiding them through the quiet moments before sleep. The text blends tenderness with a sense of longing, softly promising reunion — “Мы скоро встретимся” (“We will meet soon”). Its rhythm mirrors the slow surrender to rest, creating a feeling of closeness and trust between the speaker and the listener.

Marina Vishnevetskaya (b. 1955) is a Russian author, screen writer and poet, a member of the Russian Academy of Motion Picture Arts Nika.

A story of a noble Native American trader recorded by two Russian writers who toured the USA in 1930s.

A Fish's Love is a humorous short story by Anton Chekhov written in 1892. The main character, a Carp living in a pond near General Pantalykin's dacha, is hopelessly in love with a young summer resident Sonya Mamochkina and one day decides to fall for her hook. Chekhov first published this story under the pseudonym "Man without a spleen".

An Old Man in The Station Buffet is a chapter from The Golden Rose, a collection of stories the author called "notes about my understanding of the nature of literary writing and my experience."

Student: How do you say go in Russian? Teacher (sighing): You're not quite ready for that yet. That's second-semester material.

Learning Russian often feels like navigating uncharted territory. Not only do you encounter new words and grammatical structures, but you also reveal different ways of thinking. There is no end to the...

Today is the 1st of July, and a friend of mine shared this meme based on a homophone - "первое июля" VS "первое и Юля". What's up with little Yulia? Does she dislike her soup? What about you? Is soup ...

"А ты ничего!" What?! Are they trying to insult me?! Don't worry. It's just a flirty way to say they like you. Russian negative pronouns and adverbs are among the most thorny topics for international ...

If you tend to spend hours on end in front of the screen, your Russian mama would berate you for "sitting in the computer" (Целый день сидишь в компьютере!) As one of those pre-historic humans who sti...

As the long chain of winter holidays remained in the past (in Russia, the holiday season starts with the New Year's Eve - December 31st, continues with Christmas - January 7th, and ends with a humorou...

This song is part of a popular Russian animation from the 1980s. The film that you can watch by clicking the link below is a cover version. It uses animated pictures created by young students of an art school. It tells in a lighthearted manner about three genres of painting – still life, landscape and portrait.

Zemfira is a Russian rock singer who has enjoyed immense popularity in Russia over the last two decades.

Vladimir Vysotsky's anthemic song written in 1969 is the poet's manifesto in which he states his life principles through negation of the things he hates.

Irina Bogushevskaya is a contemporary Russian poet, composer and performer of songs. Her style is often defined as 'theatrical jazz' and 'cabaret rock'.

Sitting on a beautiful hill is an iconic song by Boris Grebenschikov's band Aquarium. It appeared in the album The Day of Silver ('День серебра'), which was influenced by the music of the classical Russian composer M. Glinka as well as by the band members' interest in mystical theories and practice.

The legendary Boris Grebenschikov and his band Aquarium have created a completely new and unique musical and social aesthetics.

Alexander Vertinsky's song featuring a parallel literal translation to English to help you understand the lyrics.

Yuri Vizbor was a well-known Soviet singer-songwriter ('bard') as well as a theatre and film actor.