The Bronze Horseman(1833)

The poem is dedicated to the most devastating and deadly flood in the history of St. Petersburg in 1824. The protagonist, an ordinary official named Yevgeny, worries about his beloved girlfriend Parasha, who lives near the coast. The flood destroys the girl's house, killing her and her family. The young man, unable to cope with his grief, goes mad…

It was after the publication of Pushkin's work that the monument to the city's founder, Peter the Great, became known as the ‘Bronze Horseman’. Russian composer Reinhold Glière created a ballet of the same name based on the poem's lyrics. A fragment of the musical work later also became the official anthem of St. Petersburg.

Translated by Babette Deutsch, Maurice Baring, Thomas B Shaw, Max Easterman, Constance Garnett, Oliver Elton, Alfred Hayes, A.F.B.Clark, T.Keane, Publisher  Random House, 1936