text:  The true principles of criticism have long ago established the doctrine that the composition of a beautiful song or even of a perfect epigram deserves to be considered as difficult a task and as rare an achievement as the production of an ode or of an elegy; and though it may be objected that for the purposes of _translation_ the song is generally much more ungrateful than the more imposing production yet we could not consider ourselves as fulfilling our promise (of holding up to our countrymen a faithful mirror of Pushkin's poetry ) had we omitted to attempt versions of the slighter and more delicate products of his poesy