Alexander Pushkin's poem "Autumn"

Excerpt from a poem, 1833

 

 

They say ill things of the last days of Autumn:
But I, friend reader, not a one will hear;
It quiet beauty touches me as surely
As does a wistful child, to no one dear.
It can rejoice me more, I tell you frankly,
Than all the other seasons of the year.
I am a humble lover, and I could
Find, singularly, much in it that’s good.

 

 

 Oh, mournful season that delights the eyes,
Its farewell beauty captivates my spirit.
I love the pomp of Nature’s fading dyes,
The forests, garmented in gold and purple,
The rush of noisy wind, and the pale skies
Half-hidden by the clouds in darkling billows,
And the rare sun-ray and the early frost,
And threats of grizzled Winter, heard and lost

 

Each time that Autumn comes I bloom afresh;
For me, I find, the Russian cold is good;
Again I go through life’s routine with relish:
Sleep comes in season, and the need for food;
Desire seethes—and I am young and merry,
My heart beats fast with lightly leaping blood..... 

Alexander Pushkin, who lived from 1799 to 1837, was one of Russia's greatest poets. Pushkin is considered to be the father of Russian literature and Russia's greatest poet. 

TRANSLATED BY AVRAHM YARMOLINSKY

P.S. I love all the seasons, unlike Alexander Pushkin :)

Summer Watercolors 2023

 

Today I show you my watercolors painted in June-August of this summer. They reflect my impressions on a walk in the park, in the meadow, on the seashore. 

Fireweed, meadowsweet, bluebells, chamomile and others bloomed in the meadow. 

In the park, in the greenness of the trees, a small pavilion was visible, tall trees gave a pleasant shade. 

Sea waves crashed on the shore, rustling over pebbles and large boulders. Sometimes I saw small yachts with white sails.  

I usually take a watercolor album, paints and a water can with me. I sketch the landscape in the album. If the weather is cool, I photograph the scenery instead of sketching. Then at home I painted with watercolors on a large sheet of paper. The paper I buy is very thick, made from 100% cotton, and is comfortable to work with.Sometimes I saw small yachts with white sails.  

I hope that you liked any of my watercolors.

Phlox

 

Before I had my own garden, I loved looking at phloxes and their scent. Phloxes were the first flowers to appear in my garden. I asked a neighbor for one stem of phlox and divided it into several cuttings. I planted them in pots and covered them with a cut plastic bottle. To my joy, by the end of the summer all the cuttings gave roots and I transplanted them into the garden. It's amazing how they survived the winter. They must have been warm under the snow.

 

When I decided how to design the garden around the cottage, I carefully transplanted the phloxes into the front garden. The next summer, my first flower bed was decorated with phlox. These purple phloxes have been blooming in my garden for over 20 years.

 

Every year I bought rooted cuttings of different varieties in the Garden Centers and the number of phlox increased. Some of them remained in the garden, while others disappeared. Now red, purple and white phlox grow in the garden. My dream is to buy blue phlox. But all they require maintenance and pruning and this thought stops me from buying new phloxes.

 I love to dip my face in their inflorescence and inhale the aroma. Do you grow phlox? Do you like their scent?