I recall the wonderful moment

To A.P. Kern
1825

I recall the Wonderful Moment is perhaps the most widely known poem in the Russian language.
As a young woman, Anna Petrovna Kern, the subject of this poem, was married off to a retired
general. Pushkin first met the young beauty in 1819 and was immediately infatuated with her, but
at the time, she did not return his advances. They met again in 1825 at the estate of Pushkins
neighbors, the family of Osipov-Wolf. By then, Kerns loveless marriage had completely
deteriorated and the two developed deep mutual affection for each other.

Kerns aunt and the matriarch of the Osipov household decided to terminate the affair and send
Anna to her relatives in the city of Riga. At their parting Pushkin presented her with the freshly
finished second chapter of Eugene Onegin. Hidden in between the uncut pages was a piece of
ordinary paper with Pushkins autograph of I recall the Wonderful Moment. Anna carefully
preserved the poem along with many letters addressed to her.

Years later, composer Mikhail Glinka fell in love with Annas daughter Ekaterina. The mother
showed the original autograph to him and he composed the song dedicating it to Ekaterina. That
affair ended tragically, but years later, Anna visited then ailing composer and asked him to
perform that song which he did with great pleasure. Only a year later the composer was dead.

Pushkins sketch of A. P. Kern in his diary:

I recall the wonderful moment:

You appeared before me,
Like a fleeting apparition,
Like a genius of pure beauty.

In anguish of my hopeless sadness,

In troubles of the noisy bustle of life,
I often heard your tender voice,
And dreamt of your gentle features.
The years went by. The restless gusts of storms
Dispersed my former dreams,
And I forgot your tender voice,
And your heavenly features.

In isolation, in the darkness of captivity

My days dragged by silently;
Deprived of a deity and inspiration,
Deprived of tears and life and love.

My soul awoke again,

And here again you appeared,
Like a fleeting apparition,
Like a genius of pure beauty.

And the heart is beating in ecstasy,

And for it revived again
The deity and inspiration,
And life, and tears, and love.

ja \poMNu \hudnAjE mgna\VeNjE

:
I recall the wonderful moment:

PeREda \mnoj jA\VilAs ty

,
Before me appeared you,

kak Mima\LotnAje Vi\DeNjE

, ,
Like a fleeting apparition,

kag=\GeNij \histAj krAsa\ty

.
Like a genius of pure beauty.

f taM\LeNAQ=\gruSTi BEzna\DE/nAj
,
In anguish of sadness hopeless,

f tRE\vogAx \wumnAj sujE\ty

,
In troubles of noisy vanity,

zvu\hal MNE \dolgA \golAs \NE/nyj

,
Sounded to me for a long time the voice tender,
i \SniLiS \Milyje hEr\ty
.
And I was dreaming of the dear features.

wLi \gody \buR pa\ryf MA\TE/nyj

.
Went by the years. Of storms gusts restless

raS\SejAl \pRE/Nije Meh\ty

,
Dispersed the former dreams,

i ja za\byl tvoj \golAs NE/nyj

,
And I forgot your voice tender,

tva\i Ne\BEsnyjE hEr\ty

.
Your heavenly features.

v glu\wy va \mraKE zAta\heNjA

,
In isolation, in the darkness of captivity

TA\nuLiS \TixA DNi ma\i

;
Dragged silently days mine;

BEz bA/Es\tva BEz vdAxna\Ven,jA

, ,
Without a deity, without an inspiration,

BEs SLoz BE/= \/yZNi BEz= LuB\Vi

, , .
Without tears, without life, without love.

du\wE na\stalA prAbu\/DeNjE

:
To my soul came awakening;

i vot a\PaT jA\VilAs ty

,
And here again appeared you,

kak Mima\LotnAje Vi\DeNjE

,
Like a fleeting apparition,
kag \GeNij \histAj krAsa\ty
.
Like a genius of pure beauty.

i \SErce \BjoCA v=upa\jeNji

,
And the heart beats in ecstasy,

i DLa NE\vo vAs\kreSLi \vnoF

And for it revived again

i bA/Est\vo i vdAxna\VenJE
, ,
(And) deity, (and) inspiration,

i \/yZN i \SLozy i Lu\boF

, , .
(And) life, (and) tears, and love.
Set by Mikhail Glinka
Nikolai Titov
Alexander Alyabyev