To Russian Women

She’ll not nag if there’s no bread for breakfast

But by nightfall is sure to provide,

A runaway Rolls Royce she’d stop in its tracks

And she’ll always stump up some cash.

She’s clever at handling money.

But, the fool, she’d not keep a penny.

This land over, poor Russian women

Will never give up, or give in.

Whatever life brings, she will shoulder:

Needs must, she’ll just soldier on.

Yank in her belt by yet one more notch,

After scrimping for your hair of dog.

And once the last penny is gone—

Out will come her dregs of “Obsession.”

With tough childhood now left behind,

Mad happiness fills her mind.

Translated by Jenefer Coates

Translator’s note: This parodies the famous Nekrasov poem “Russkie zhenshchiny,” which praises Russian women for their idealized virtues.