The Forest King. Tales and Ballads

Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky (1783–1852) – a Russian poet, founder of romanticism in Russian poetry, author of elegies, romances, ballads, and epic works. The poem "The Forest King" is a translation of a ballad by J.W. Goethe. The most well-known Russian translations are by V. Zhukovsky and A. Fet. V.A. Zhukovsky translated the poem in 1818. The work is based on an ancient legend about a dying boy who is called by the Forest King to his kingdom. At the center of the ballad's plot is the dialogue between a father and his son, riding on a horse through the forest in the evening. The boy feels that he is being lured by the Forest King: "Child, I am captivated by your beauty: 'Whether by force or by will, you shall be mine.'" The ballad has inspired many musicians, with the most notable composition being by Franz Schubert from 1815. The book also includes poems and ballads by Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky, which are part of the school curriculum: "Svetlana", "The Sleeping Princess", "Enigma", and others.