Aleksey Tolstoy
Had I but known, had I but realized...

Had I but known, had I but realized,
From out my window I'd have never peered
As that dashing young dandy
Came trotting down our street
With his jaunty hat askew,
On his dun-hued horse a-prancing,
Hooves a-clatter, mane a-flutter,
Right before my window rearing!

Had I but known, had I but realized,
Would I have dressed up for him so,
Or taken crimson ribbon edged in gold
And woven it into my long braids;
Or risen early before dawn's light,
And rushed to the outskirts of town,
And gotten drenched to the knees in dew,
Or waited by the country lane,
By that dirt path where he might pass
Holding a pied falcon upon his fist?

Had I but known, had I but realized,
I'd not have stayed so late in the darkening night,
Sadly perched upon the zavalinka —
Upon that cozy mound nearby the well,
Lying in wait and wondering,
"Why has my darling as yet not come,
That his steed might drink from the icy spring?"!

Translated by Edward Lein