Mylimajai

Aš bijau pasakyt, kaip tave aš myliu,

Aš bijau prasitart ir išreikšt negaliu,

Nes vėjelis išgirs, laimės man pavydės

Ir pasauliui garsins jausmus mano širdies!

Aš bijau pasakyt, kaip tave aš myliu,

Aš bijau prasitart ir išreikšt negaliu,

Nes aukštybėj dangaus, rodos, žvaigždės pajuos,

Ir tamsioji naktis ilgus amžius skrajos!..

Aš bijau pasakyt, kaip tave aš myliu,

Aš bijau prasitart ir išreikšt negaliu,

Nes jautrioji širdis man krūtinėj sustos,

Trūks pusiau iš kančių ir tos laimės didžios.

A few years ago, when I was a camper at Neringa, this was a poem that my cabin read for poetry night at least two years in a row. It was very romantic of us, as our young teenage selves believed that we were falling in love with our fellow campers, and some of the counselors. Yes, we were a bit ridiculous. The poem, "Beloved," essentially voices the concerns of one who is afraid to tell their beloved that they are in love. 

In recent years, since I was living in Vilnius, I have been trying to rediscover this poem, and it took me until only recently to find out any information about it, which I will share here. The poem is by a poet named Ksaveras Sakalauskas-Vanagelis, and, I was shocked to find out, is essentially a translation of an 1886 Russian poem by Николай Максимович Минский

Я боюсь рассказать, как тебя я люблю.

Я боюсь, что, подслушавши повесть мою,

Легкий ветер в кустах бдруг, в веселии пьяном,

Полетит над землей ураганом...

Я боюсь рассказать, как тебя я люблю.

Я боюсь, что, подслушавши повесть мою,

Звезды станут недвижно средь темного свода,

И висеть будет ночь без исхода...

Я боюсь рассказать, как тебя я люблю.

Я боюсь, что, подслушавши повесть мою,

Мое сердце безумья любви ужаснется

И от счастья и муки порвется...

Although the translation isn't necessarily direct, the meter and repetition of the first two lines in each stanza is remarkably similar, and beautiful in each language. Unfortunately, although I'm fascinated by this connection, I do not wish to become a scholar of Lithuanian and Russian poetry and literature, so I will leave these poems for you to read in whatever way you like.