My Fair Girl Poem by Alexander Sumarokov

My fair girl, don't waist your time for nothing, easily,
Love someone, - all is vanity without love,
Be nice and good, don't lose the charm you have,
So you might not regret you've lived a life of misery.

Love while you're young and while your heart is ardent:
You'll change when youth is gone, I should presume.
Twine wreaths while flowers in the garden bloom,
Take walks in spring, in autumn you'll be saddened.

Look at the rosy flower, view it at the time
When it has grown dim and faded, past its prime.
Likewise, your charm will fade and disappear,
so do not waste your time before you've seen your day

Remember, nobody will ever look at you, my dear,
When, like the rose, you fade and waste away.

Translated by Alec Vagapov