Poem for Empress Maria Feodorovna

On June 15, 1888, when Maria Feodorovna had been Empress of Russia for three years, her husband's cousin, the poet Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, wrote a poem dedicated to her.

On the balcony, blooming in spring,

As the nightingales sing in the gardens,

I admired you in silence,

Gazing into your gentle eyes.

A quiet voice rang in my ears,

But I can not hear what you were saying:

I was like in a dream immersed

In the depth of those soft eyes.

All that is joyous, pure, lovely,

That lives in beautiful dreams

Were all told so simply and clearly

To me through these enchanting sight.

In their secret meaning

No words can be enough...

Like the night hanging over me,

A Radiant, Spring night!