Sentence 5 in I loved you
This is a sentence in Russian from I loved you. It is composed of 10 words.
Я вас любил безмолвно, безнадежно, то робостью, то ревностью томим;
English translation
I loved you silently, hopelessly, sometimes tormented by timidity, sometimes by jealousy;
Description
Analysis of the phrase in context.
Here Pushkin deepens the emotional portrait of his love by describing it as silent and hopeless—a love marked by inner struggles of shyness and jealousy. This vivid imagery conveys the painful, almost torturous nature of his unreturned feelings, suggesting that his love, though genuine, was also fraught with inner conflict and sorrow.
Word sources
A quick overview of the meaning of each word and its etymology.
| я | я | I | |
| вас | вы | you | From Old East Slavic вы (vy), from Proto-Slavic *vy, from Proto-Indo-European *yū́. Cognate with Sanskrit यूयम् (yūyam) and English you. Use of Вы as a formal singular is attested in East Slavic literature from the 11th-16th century, under influence of Byzantine speech. It started becoming widespread in Russian society during the rule of Peter the Great, under French and German influence, and became ingrained by the 19th century. |
| любил | любить | to love | Inherited from Proto-Slavic *ľubiti, from Proto-Indo-European *lewbʰ-, whence English love, Sanskrit लुभ्यति (lubhyati, “to desire”), Sanskrit लोभयति (lobhayati, “to make crazy”) and Latin libet. |
| безмолвно | безмолвно | silently | безмо́лвный (bezmólvnyj) + -о (-o) |
| безнадежно | безнадежно | ||
| то | то | Optional part of "е́сли (jésli | |
| робостью | робость | shyness | ро́б(кий) (rób(kij)) + -ость (-ostʹ) |
| то | то | Optional part of "е́сли (jésli | |
| ревностью | ревность | jealousy | Inherited from Old East Slavic рьвьность (rĭvĭnostĭ), from Proto-Slavic *rьvьnostь. By surface analysis, ре́вный (révnyj) + -ость (-ostʹ). |
| томим | томить | to weary | Inherited from Old East Slavic томити (tomiti), from Proto-Slavic *tomiti, from Proto-Indo-European *temH-. Cognate with Old Church Slavonic томити (tomiti). |