I Loved You (poem)

"I Loved You" (Я вас любил - Ya vas lyubíl) is a poem by Alexander Pushkin written in 1829 and published in 1830. It has been described as "the quintessential statement of the theme of lost love" in Russian poetry, and an example of Pushkin's respectful attitude towards women.

Russian (Cyrillic)
Romanization:

Я вас любил: любовь ещё, быть может, В душе моей угасла не совсем; Но пусть она вас больше не тревожит; Я не хочу печалить вас ничем. Я вас любил безмолвно, безнадежно, То робостью, то ревностью томим; Я вас любил так искренно, так нежно, Как дай вам Бог любимой быть другим.

English Translation
As translated by Reginald Hewitt I loved you; even now I may confess, Some embers of my love their fire retain; But do not let it cause you more distress, I do not want to sadden you again. Hopeless and tongue-tied, yet I loved you dearly With pangs the jealous and the timid know; So tenderly I loved you, so sincerely, I pray God grant another love you so.

Summary of the poem
Pushkin expresses his affectionate feelings towards a lady in this poem. The poet is melancholy about his unrequited love, and lets go knowing that the object of his affections can never love him back, so he wishes her to one day possess the kind of love that he has for her. The poet is not selfish and doesn't want to fight to get the girl. He just wants to keep her in his heart for a while. The greatest test of love is the ability to wish good for the other person even if you lose them.

Settings in music

 * "I Loved You", a song by composer Alexander Dargomyzhsky (1832)
 * "I Loved You", a song by composer Alexander Alyabyev (1834)
 * "I Loved You", a song by composer Boris Sheremetev (1859)
 * "I Loved You," a song by composer and arranger Claus Ogermann (1973)

In film
The poem has various references in Soviet and Russian film. Most recently in I Loved You, a trilogy of documentaries by Viktor Kossakovsky.