‎На берегу пустынных волн Стоял он, дум великих полн, - Alexander Pushkin

I was born for the peaceful life,
for rural quiet:
the lyre's voice in the wild is more resounding,
creative dreams are more alive.
To harmless leisures consecrated,
I wander by a wasteful lake
and far niente is my rule.
By every morn I am awakened
unto sweet mollitude and freedom;
little I read, a lot I sleep,
fugitive fame do not pursue.
Was it not thus in former years,
that I spent in inaction, in the shade,
my happiest days?

Thou and You and A Love Letter

She substituted, by a chance,
For empty ‘you’ – the gentle ‘thou';
And all my happy dreams, at once,
In loving heart again resound.
In bliss and silence do I stay,
Unable to maintain my role:
‘Oh, how sweet you are!’ I say –
‘How I love thee!’ says my soul.

Dearer to me than a host of base truths is the illusion that exalts.