National Poetry Month: Where does this tenderness come from? by Marina Tsvetaeva

This is one of my favourite poems, by a Russian writer (who had an interesting life quite aside from her work) named Marina Tsvetaeva. I’m putting up two versions of her poem, by two different translators. I prefer Feinstein’s version, but that might be because it’s the version I read and loved first.

( Where does this tenderness come from? by Marina Tsvetaeva, translated by Elaine Feinstein )

( Where does this tenderness come from? by Marina Tsvetaeva, translated by Andrey Kneller )