The Forest King. Tales and Ballads

Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky (1783–1852) - a Russian poet, the 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 famous 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 summoned to the kingdom of the Forest King. The center of the ballad's plot is a dialogue between a father and son, riding on a horse through the forest in the evening. The boy feels that the Forest King is calling him: "Child, I am captivated by your beauty: By force or by will, you will be mine." The ballad has inspired many musicians. The most famous composition is by Franz Schubert in 1815. The book also includes poems and ballads by Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky, the study of which is provided in the school curriculum: "Svetlana," "The Sleeping Princess," "The Riddle," and others.