A Little Bird (Translated by Yevgeny Bonver and Edited by Dmitry Karshtedt) - By: A.S. Pushkin

В чужбине свято наблюдаю
Родной обычай старины:
На волю птичку выпускаю
При светлом празднике весны.
Я стал доступен утешенью;
За что на бога мне роптать,
Когда хоть одному творенью
Я мог свободу даровать!

In alien lands I keep the body
Of ancient native rites and things:
I gladly free a little birdie
At celebration of the spring.

I'm now free for consolation,
And thankful to almighty Lord:
At least, to one of his creations
I've given freedom in this world!



I found this poem to be interesting because it reminded me of a poem by Emily Dickinson about not dying in vain if she too could have rescued a bird. In this brief poem, there is not many outlandish devices to be found. However, in line 1 and 2 when Pushkin is referencing "the body of ancient native rites and things" he is using METONYMY in which he uses "body" to mean the rituals and gathering. Furthermore, this poem is a ODE and PARABLE. Odes are poems "in praise of something divine or expressing some noble idea". Here, Pushkin is praising the idea of freeing even the littlest thing for in that act he has symbolically given life to a life. "A Little Bird" by Alexander Pushkin is also a parable because he gives the short moral story how if you contribute to a individual's freedom you will be "free for consolation".