Открытие большое вскоре
Ее утешило совсем:
Она меж делом и досугом
Открыла тайну, как супругом
Самодержавно управлять,
И всё тогда пошло на стать.
Она езжала по работам,
Солила на зиму грибы,
Вела расходы, брила лбы,
Ходила в баню по субботам,
Служанок била осердясь –
Все это мужа не спросясь.
XXXI
Like him she used to be attired
In modern fashion, looking fine;
Though, wedding was against desire,
It was by parents sanctified.
To dissipate his spouse’s mourn
The clever husband very soon
Left to the country, where she found
Herself in Lord knows what surround.
She rent her hair and wept, at first,
But then, by household distracted,
And being by the life affected
She with her husband didn’t divorce.
We all get habit from above,
And it replaces good and love.
XXXII
The habit pacified her mourn,
Which by no means could be repulsed,
A remedy she found soon,
Which resurrected her at last.
Thus, switching business and pastime
She managed a smart hold to find
How to control like does a reign
The husband and to give away
Her mourn. And she was spending days
Inspecting works and keeping records,
Arranging pickling, shaving recruits,
Enjoying baths on Saturdays;
She beat her maids for the omissions
And never asked for spouse permissions.
XXXIII
Бывало, писывала кровью
Она в альбомы нежных дев,
Звала Полиною Прасковью
И говорила нараспев,
Корсет носила очень узкий,
И русский Н как N французский
Произносить умела в нос;