Sentence 6 in I loved you
This is a sentence in Russian from I loved you. It is composed of 14 words.
Я вас любил так искренно, так нежно, как дай вам Бог любимой быть другим.
English translation
I loved you so sincerely, so tenderly, as God grant you to be loved by others.
Description
Analysis of the phrase in context.
Pushkin concludes the poem on a note of both tender farewell and heartfelt blessing. The speaker sums up his love as both sincere and gentle, and in a selfless act of letting go, he earnestly wishes that she may find love in the arms of another. This final line encapsulates the nobility of his affection—true love, he implies, is ultimately about wishing happiness for the beloved, even if it means parting ways with one’s own cherished emotions.
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. |
| так | так | like that | Inherited from Old East Slavic тако (tako), такъ (takŭ), from Proto-Slavic *tako (adverb), from Proto-Slavic *takъ (adjective). Cognate with Ukrainian так (tak), тако (tako); Belarusian так (tak); Bulgarian така (taka); Serbo-Croatian тако, так; Slovene tako, tàk; Czech and Polish tak; Upper and Lower Sorbian tak; Lithuanian tóks, tokià; and Latin tālis. Akin to Old Church Slavonic pronoun тъ (tŭ). |
| искренно | искренно | Alternative form of и́скренне (ískrenne | и́скренний (ískrennij) + -о (-o) |
| так | так | like that | Inherited from Old East Slavic тако (tako), такъ (takŭ), from Proto-Slavic *tako (adverb), from Proto-Slavic *takъ (adjective). Cognate with Ukrainian так (tak), тако (tako); Belarusian так (tak); Bulgarian така (taka); Serbo-Croatian тако, так; Slovene tako, tàk; Czech and Polish tak; Upper and Lower Sorbian tak; Lithuanian tóks, tokià; and Latin tālis. Akin to Old Church Slavonic pronoun тъ (tŭ). |
| нежно | нежныи | ||
| как | как | how (in what way | Inherited from Proto-Slavic *kako. |
| дай | дать | to give | Inherited from Proto-Slavic *dati, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *dṓˀtei, from Proto-Indo-European *dédeh₃ti (“to give”), whence English donate, date and data. Also cognate with Sanskrit ददाति (dadāti), Sanskrit दान (dāna) and Latin dō. |
| вам | 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. |
| Бог | бог | God | Inherited from Proto-Slavic *bogъ. |
| любимой | любимая | ||
| быть | быть | to be | Inherited from Old East Slavic бꙑти (byti), from Proto-Slavic *byti, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *bū́ˀtei. Cognate with Ukrainian бути (buty), Belarusian быць (bycʹ), Polish być. Other cognates include Sanskrit भू (bhū, “to be”), Latin futūrus, and English be. The present forms are suppletive, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésti. |
| другим | другои |