Non scholae, sed vitae discimus

(exertion from the poem "Pushkin")

In aiming his mind to some noble intents
The Ruler of Russia had ordered
To gather a cluster of young applicants
And keep them protected and boarded.
The proudly-formed and unmatched academe
Was one of the world’s most exclusive Lyceums.**
The edified scholars were courteously asked
To teach their pupils the government’s acts.
The youngsters prepared to pursue their careers
For six very brief unforgettable years.

Where alleys in daylight were slightly shaded
And every glade was turning varnished green,
Where branches of the oaks were gently fading,
Where ponds were lonely, sorrowfully dim,
The colorful pavilions seemed illusive,
The statures looked around with respect,
The air was transparent, thoughts – conclusive,
And there Catherine’s Palace*** stood erect.

To that creation with its triple arch
Was the Lyceum gallantly attached,
The colonnade was lit and all around
The spirit of great victories was found.

Enlightenment, self-importance, pride of Throne,
And marble treasure of the "Cameron’s":****
The sleeping Juno, Venus, Muses’ bevy,
Tiberius and Socrates along
With Cicero – articulate and vivid…–
They learned philosophers’ long-celebrated honor:
Voltaire, Rousseau, great Virgil, sightless Homer.

Blue skies reflected in the morning ponds,
In afternoons it drizzled rather often
And the surroundings were slightly dimmed and softened,
And studying subjects, growing, getting strong
Created unity, an everlasting bond.

Boys, playing games in labyrinthine buildings,
And noisy racket out in the glades...
The tide of reminiscence vaguely shielding
The very happenings of prior dates.

But flares of fire***** ripped the peaceful clouds
And colored dangerously Moskow’s gloomy days.
The regiments, encouraged by the crowds
Already started marching - full of grace.
Borodino******– the verge of self defense:
Gun-carriages were clanking in the air,
The smell of burning metal was intense…
As a result of glory and despair
And with the greatest victory declared
The youth obtained a sense of reverence.

They grew together – Pushchin, Kuchelbecker,
Bestuzhev-Riumin, Delvig, Muraviov ...*******
The wind of freedom – a real trouble maker,
Through brilliant minds of lively students roved.
Parnassus was their precious territory,
They dreamed of Russia’s swiftly growing glory.

There was a brusque yet amiable young man,
From whom the Russian poetry began;
He was as vigorous as wintry gusty winds,
He liked to fool around and to tease -
Still very charming, daring in his sins,
A womanizer, flirting with sly ease…

His reputation as a poet made him feel,
That all his goals have surely been fulfilled,
His talent by Zhukovsky******** was admired,
Derzhavin********* had presented him a Lyre.**********



 
* We’re studying not for school, but for life (lat)
** Lyceum – a school for the children of prominent citizens at
    Tsarskoe Selo, to which Pushkin was admitted at twelve.
*** Catherine the Great – the Empress of Russia
**** "Cameron’s gallery" – an outstanding
          architectural work of art as a part of the Palace
***** The war of Russia with Napoleon, 1812
****** The main battlefield near Moscow
******* The names of Pushkin’s closest friends, future
               Decembrists – rebels against the Tsar’s regime
******** Zhukovsky, most illustrious poet of the era and Pushkin’s
                mentor and patron
********* Derzhavin – a prominent elderly poet of Pushkin’s time
********** Lyre – symbol of poetry