Russian Poetry

[bluosean]

What are some of y'all's favorite Russian poets (all eras). I would like to try a few Russian poets in translation.

[Le_Iris]

Well, my favourite poets are Mayakovsky, Esenin, Blok and Lermontov. But I'd never suggest to read Mayakovsky's poems in translation. His poems have special style, and as he said "Each word is very important in my poems" (or something like that). I can't say anything about translation of Esenin's poems. He wrote about Russia mostly, about Russia's beatiful nature and so on. What about Blok, he is a symbolist. But I think it's better to start from Lermontov's poems.

[stlukesguild]

Mandelstam, Tsvetaveva, Pasternak, Akhmatova, Pushkin, Lermontov... all exist in solid translation.

[JBI]

Mandelstam, Tsvetaveva, Pasternak, Akhmatova, Pushkin, Lermontov... all exist in solid translation.

More than that if you count thick anthologies, or lesser known translations. Still, I wouldn't mind poking at a few poems if somebody cares to post some.

[stlukesguild]

Yes. Those I listed were just off the top of my head... and what I could see on the shelves from quite a distance. This cold/flue is kicking my butt and I just wasn't in the mood to get up. But yes... I have one volume on Bella Akhmadulina, Mayakovsky, Andrey Voznesensky, Yevgeny Yevtushenko as well as a volume of 20th century Russian poetry edited by Yevtushenko and translated by numerous hands.

[Lynne50]

I love Pasternak's Untitled poem that starts...
I want to find the essence of
All things, each part:
In work, in groping for a way,
In turmoiled heart.

Here's the fourth stanza that I love as well..
O, if only I could write down
Even just eight
Good lines about passion and tell
Its every trait.

The entire poem is too long to type here; I loved the whole thing, though.

[stlukesguild]

A little while back the poetry group discussed Pasternak's My Sister-Life. The discussion with quotes from various poems can be found here:

http://174.133.97.227/forums/showthread.php?t=40589&highlight=Pasternak

[bluosean]

thanks all for the replys.