We strolled down Nevsky Prospekt hand in hand;
The pavements were full of people,
Tourists, New Russians with their beautiful girlfriends,
Shoppers, businessmen and women going about their routines,
And the beggars, those poor rejects of a society that no longer cared,
Babushkas and babies with their knurled and outstretched hands,
Vying for the best places on the pavements with the other unfortunates;
Hoping to receive a kopek or two…

Russians walk in an orderly fashion;
There is no bumping into one another on a crowded street;
One line of pedestrians walks down the pavement on the left,
While another line of pedestrians, walking in the opposite direction,
Keep to the right; it’s an un-written rule that works very well,
And I wish city people here might experience it once,
Then they would adapt, and life in crowded streets in the west
Might be enjoyed instead of endured.

We visited churches and shops; passed porticoes by the dozen;
Admired artists’ work and watched old men play chess on park benches.
There was a little vender, a cheerful fellow, who I bought coffee from.
We sat on the terrace at a table and talked about the future.
It seemed distant then and I didn’t want to go there; I was afraid to.
So I kept silent and just gazed at Yevgenya and thought how lucky I am now
It was a perfect time and life was still full of pleasant surprises,
And I suppose love was in its infancy and everything about love was wonderful.

Walking again; joining the mainstream of society, soldiers, sailors, tinkers, tailors,
Beggar men, thieves… they were all there that day; oh, but what a day!
She stopped; let go of my arm and playfully skipped down some grey stone steps
To the banks of The River Neva where I can still remember her there.
When she reached the water’s edge, she turned and smiled at me.
I looked beyond her for a moment to the other bank and saw a spectre of myself alone.
It appeared distant and even though the sun was shining
I knew it was cold and empty there; a lonely place where love could never go.

“Why are you so sad on such a perfect day?” she said.
Her wonderful smile lit up the shadows.
“I thought for one awful moment how it might be without you”, I said.
She came running back and put her arms around me
And all the warmth of that day came rushing back
We kissed a long kiss there by the banks of the Neva
And made a secret vow never to part; then walked hand in hand
To our apartment and made love for the last time.

I have been back in England many years; but sometimes I find myself in Russia;
Once more looking across The River Neva at the happy couple on the other bank,
And I wonder where they are now and who they’re with.
We made a pact that day that if our love should fade or die,
That we would meet again on the Neva to celebrate the New Millennium.
I made the pilgrimage and stood on that far bank alone;
But all I could see was ice and snow as I wished again for that summer past,
And looked across the frozen Neva and remembered Yevgenya.
.