And sparkles dance before her eyes.
Night falls; the moon begins parading
The distant vault of heaven's hood;
The nightingale in darkest wood
Breaks out in mournful serenading.
Tatyana tosses through the night
And wakes her nurse to share her plight.
17
'I couldn't sleep ... #62038; nurse, it's stifling!
Put up the window ... sit by me.'
'What ails you, Tanya?''Life's so trifling,
Come tell me how it used to be.'
'Well, what about it? Lord, it's ages. . .
I must have known a thousand pages
Of ancient facts and fables too
'Bout evil ghosts and girls like you;
But nowadays I'm not so canny,
I can't remember much of late.
Oh, Tanya, it's a sorry state;
I get confused . . .' 'But tell me, nanny,
About the olden days . . . you know,
Were you in love then, long ago?'
18
'Oh, come! Our world was quite another!
We'd never heard of love, you see.
Why, my good husband's sainted mother
Would just have been the death of me!'
'Then how'd you come to marry, nanny?'
'The will of God, I guess .... My Danny
Was younger still than me, my dear,
And I was just thirteen that year.
The marriage maker kept on calling
For two whole weeks to see my kin,
Till father blessed me and gave in.
I got so scared . . . my tears kept falling;
And weeping, they undid my plait,
Then sang me to the churchyard gate.
19
'And so they took me off to strangers ...
But you're not even listening, pet.'
'Oh, nanny, life's so full of dangers,
I'm sick at heart and all upset,
I'm on the verge of tears and wailing!'
'My goodness, girl, you must be ailing;
Dear Lord have mercy. God, I plead!
Just tell me, dearest, what you need.
I'll sprinkle you with holy water,
You're burning up!''Oh, do be still,
I'm . . . you know, nurse ... in love, not ill.'
