Konstantin Bal'mont was one of the preeminent lyric voices of the Russian Silver Age who throughout his long literary career extolled the virtues of beauty, love, and nature in their various guises. As in the case of his contemporary Algernon Charles Swinburne, Bal'mont's tireless enthusiasm, combined with his indefatigable faith in his lyric genius, resulted in a critical perception of his work as monotonous, verbose, and stagnating after reaching a peak around 1903. In retrospect, however, Bal'mont is a fascinating modern poet, unrivaled in his pure lyricism, who never ceased to grow as a poet and as a man. His influence on Russian verse was augmented by his translations, some of which have retained the status of classics for the Russian reading public.

Konstantin Dmitrievich Bal'mont was born on 3 June 1867 at his family's estate, Gumnishchi, in Shuia district of Vladimir Province. The son of a judge, Dmitrii Konstantinovich Bal'mont...