До свиданья, друг мой, до свиданья

До свиданья, друг мой, до свиданья.
Милый мой, ты у меня в груди.
Предназначенное расставанье
Обещает встречу впереди.

До свиданья, друг мой, без руки, без слова,
Не грусти и не печаль бровей,-
В этой жизни умирать не ново,
Но и жить, конечно, не новей.
Сергей Александрович Есенин (1925)

Transliteration:
Do svidan'ya, drug moi, do svidan'ya.
Milyi moi, ty u menya v grudi.
Prednaznachennoe rasstavan'e
Obeshaet vstrechu vperedi.

Do svidan'ya, drug moi, bez ruki,
bez slova, Ne grusti i ne pechal' brovei,-
V etoi zhizni umirat' ne novo,
No i zhit', konechno, ne novei.


Translation (by myself):
Goodbye, my friend, goodbye
My dearest, I keep yyou in my heart
Our preordained parting
Promises future meeting.

Goodbye, my friend, no holding hands, no words spoken
Do not grieve and do not frown
In this life, to die is not new
But also to live, of course, is no novelty.


This was the first poem I ever learned and recited in Russian class. It is dark and depressing, yes, and at the time that truly matched my personality. But it is also beautiful and poignant.
Sergei Esenin was a fragile artist. He was an alcoholic and depressed. Some say this poem was his farewell, a suicide note. It holds a special place in my heart, as an introduction to the Russian literature I love so much.