Mikhail Lermontov — The Beggar

By gates of an abode, blessed,

A man stood, asking for donation,

A beggar, cruelly oppressed

By hunger, thirst and deprivation.

He asked just for a peace of bread,

And all his looks were full of anguish,

And was a cold stone laid

Into his stretched arm, thin and languished.

Thus I prayed vainly for your love,

With bitter tears, pine and fervor,

Thus my best senses, that have thrived,

Were victimized by you forever!