If Only I Had Known

Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy 1817 (Saint Petersburg) – 1875 (Chernigov Governorate)



If only I had known, had realised,
I would not have looked out of the window
as the dashing young man
rode along our street,
his hat worn cockily,
riding a frisky bay horse,
hooves clattering, mane flying,
rearing up before our windows!

If I had only known, had realised,
I would not have dressed up for him,
or woven a scarlet ribbon
into my hair;
or risen so early, before dawn,
or rush to the edge of the village,
or got my feet soaked in dew,
or watched the road
to see if he would come along,
falcon on his wrist.

If I had only known, had realised!

If I had only known, had realised,
I would not have waited late into the evening,
sitting sadly on the little hill
near our old well,
longing and hoping -
Will he not come - my beloved,
Will he not come to water his horse?

If I had only known, had realised!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

48 sec read
115

Quick analysis:

Scheme aaxabcdx Axxxxxaaxa A Adbbdac A
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 793
Words 163
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 8, 10, 1, 7, 1

Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy

Count Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy, often referred to as A. K. Tolstoy, was a Russian poet, novelist and playwright, considered to be the most important nineteenth-century Russian historical dramatist, primarily on the strength of his dramatic trilogy The Death of Ivan the Terrible, Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, and Tsar Boris. He also gained fame for his satirical works, published under his own name and under the collaborational pen name of Kozma Prutkov. His fictional works include the novella The Vampire, and the historical novel Prince Serebrenni. Aleksey was a member of the Tolstoy family, and a second cousin of Leo Tolstoy. Due to his mother's closeness with the court of the Tsar, Aleksey was admitted to the future Alexander II's childhood entourage and became "a comrade in games" for the young Crown Prince. As a young man Tolstoy traveled widely, including trips to Italy and Germany, where he met Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Tolstoy began his education at home under the tutelage of his uncle the writer Antony Pogorelsky, under whose influence he first became interested in writing poetry, and a number of other teachers. more…

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