Читать книгу The Demon / Демон. Книга для чтения на английском языке - Михаил Лермонтов, Михаил Юрьевич Лермонтов, M. Y. Lermontov - Страница 13

But see – a chapel by the way…

Here now has rested many a day

Some prince, now canonized, but then

By vengeful hand untimely slain. —

And here the traveller must stay

Whether he hastes to fight, or whether

To join the feast, here he must ever

Rein in his horse and humbly pray

The good saint to protect his life

Against the lurking Moslem's knife.

But now the bridegroom, overbold,

Forgot his forefathers of old

And, by perfidious dreams misled

Of how, beneath the cloak of night,

He would embrace his bride, instead

Of holding by their pious rite

He yielded to the Demon's will

Seduced by turbid thoughts – until

Two figures – then a shot – ahead

What was it? Rising in his stirrups

Cramming his high hat on his brow

The gallant lover, at the gallop,

Plunged like a hawk upon his foe!

No word he spoke, his whip cracked once

And once blazed forth his Turkish gun…

Another shot. Wild cries. The Prince

Goes thundering on. The groans behind

Long echoes in the valley find…

Not long the fight. Of timorous mind,

The Georgians turn and run!