---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Where does such tenderness come from And…"
description: "\"“Where does such tenderness come from And what do I do with it, you, sly, Adolescent, vagabond singer, Whose lashes couldn’t be longer?”\" — Marina Tsve..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/marina-tsvetaeva-13938_russian-poetry_where-does-such-tenderness-come-from-and_2458071.jpg"
---

#  Where does such tenderness come from And what do I do with…

![“Where does such tenderness come from And what do I do with it, you, sly, Adolescent, vagabond singer, Whose lashes couldn’t be longer?” quote by Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/marina-tsvetaeva-13938_russian-poetry_where-does-such-tenderness-come-from-and_2458071.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/marina-tsvetaeva-13938_russian-poetry_where-does-such-tenderness-come-from-and_2458071.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/marina-tsvetaeva-13938_russian-poetry_where-does-such-tenderness-come-from-and_2458071.jpg)

> ““Where does such tenderness come from And what do I do with it, you, sly, Adolescent, vagabond singer, Whose lashes couldn’t be longer?””

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A speaker wonders about the source of their tenderness and how to handle it, addressing a youthful, restless singer as a metaphor for inner conflict.

**In simple terms:** Questioning the origin and use of tenderness.

Key Takeaway

Explore the source of your tenderness.

Themes

identity emotion artistry

Mood

contemplative melancholic

Type

poetic introspective

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- personal introspection
- emotional self‑management

Key Concepts

self‑reflection poetic metaphor

Questions to Reflect On

- What does tenderness mean to you?
- How can you channel it constructively?

A Different Perspective

Tenderness may be fleeting and hard to control.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Russian-poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russian-poetry/) [Tenderness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenderness/)

## Related quotes

> [Had Passion and Purity never encountered, Tenderness had never come into the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/had-passion-and-purity-never-encountered-tenderness-had-never-come/)

[William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/)

> [“I’m kissing you now — across The gap of a thousand years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/i-m-kissing-you-now-across-the-gap-of-a-thousand-years/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [“I’ll rise up as a poem…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/i-ll-rise-up-as-a-poem/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [“After a night of insomnia the body gets weaker, Becomes dear but no one’s — not even your own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/after-a-night-of-insomnia-the-body-gets-weaker-becomes-dear-but-no/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [“The Mysterious Visitor Spirit, lovely guest, who are you? Whence have you flown down to us? Taciturn and without a sound Why have you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-zhukovsky/the-mysterious-visitor-spirit-lovely-guest-who-are-you-whence-have/)

Vasily Zhukovsky

> [“We don't know how to say goodbye, We wander on, shoulder to shoulder Already the sun is going down You're moody, and I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-akhmatova/we-don-t-know-how-to-say-goodbye-we-wander-on-shoulder-to-shoulder/)

[Anna Akhmatova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-akhmatova/)

> [“Here's how I used to think you made a book: a poet comes along, mouth half open, inspired, then suddenly the idiot bursts into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-mayakovsky/here-s-how-i-used-to-think-you-made-a-book-a-poet-comes-along-mouth/)

[Vladimir Mayakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-mayakovsky/)

> [“But then he touched the flowers With the dry tips of his fingers. "Tell me how men kiss you. Tell me how you kiss.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-akhmatova/but-then-he-touched-the-flowers-with-the-dry-tips-of-his-fingers-tell/)

[Anna Akhmatova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-akhmatova/)

> [“A chestnut-haired child Cheering up, went and stood in his stall. And took the whole incident like a young colt - and to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-mayakovsky/a-chestnut-haired-child-cheering-up-went-and-stood-in-his-stall-and/)

[Vladimir Mayakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-mayakovsky/)

> [“If you prefer, I'll be pure raging meat, or if you prefer, as the sky changes tone, I'll be absolutely tender, not a man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-mayakovsky/if-you-prefer-i-ll-be-pure-raging-meat-or-if-you-prefer-as-the-sky/)

[Vladimir Mayakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-mayakovsky/)

> [“To a Familiar Genius Flying By Reveal yourself, anonymous enchanter! What heaven hastens you to me? Why draw me to that promised land again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-zhukovsky/to-a-familiar-genius-flying-by-reveal-yourself-anonymous-enchanter/)

Vasily Zhukovsky

> [“I hope for a light grief in old age. I was born in Rome and it has returned to me. My autumn was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hope-for-a-light-grief-in-old-age-i-was-born-in-rome-and-it-has/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Lalla Ruk Dearest dream, my soul's enchantment Lovely guest from heav'n above, Most benevolent attender To the earthly realm below, You gave me blissful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-zhukovsky/lalla-ruk-dearest-dream-my-soul-s-enchantment-lovely-guest-from-heav/)

Vasily Zhukovsky

> [“At the skin, my blood calls out to your heart, my whole sky craves an island of tenderness. My rivers tilt towards you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/at-the-skin-my-blood-calls-out-to-your-heart-my-whole-sky-craves-an/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [He lacked tenderness; he was rude; and he had more than a streak of cruelty in him; he was a thief and a liar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/he-lacked-tenderness-he-was-rude-and-he-had-more-than-a-streak-of/)

[Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/)

## More by Marina Tsvetaeva

> [“At the skin, my blood calls out to your heart, my whole sky craves an island of tenderness. My rivers tilt towards you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/at-the-skin-my-blood-calls-out-to-your-heart-my-whole-sky-craves-an/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [There are books so alive that you're always afraid that while you weren't reading, the book has gone and changed, has shifted like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/there-are-books-so-alive-that-you-re-always-afraid-that-while-you/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [One should write only those books from whose absence one suffers. In short: the ones you want on your own desk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/one-should-write-only-those-books-from-whose-absence-one-suffers-in/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [What shall I do, singer and first-born, in a world where the deepest black is grey, and inspiration is kept in a thermos? with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/what-shall-i-do-singer-and-first-born-in-a-world-where-the-deepest/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [“The forbidden cabinet. The forbidden fruit. That fruit is—a volume, a huge blue-lilac volume with a gold inscription slantwise: Collected Works of A.S. Pushkin.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/the-forbidden-cabinet-the-forbidden-fruit-that-fruit-is-a-volume-a/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [No one has ever stepped twice into the same river. But did anyone ever step twice into the same book?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/no-one-has-ever-stepped-twice-into-the-same-river-but-did-anyone-ever/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [I am a moonbeam, free to go whenever I choose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/i-am-a-moonbeam-free-to-go-whenever-i-choose/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [In this most Christian of worlds all poets are Jews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/in-this-most-christian-of-worlds-all-poets-are-jews/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [An amazing observation: it is precisely for feelings that one needs time, not for thought. ... Feelings, obviously, are more demanding than thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/an-amazing-observation-it-is-precisely-for-feelings-that-one-needs/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [“A shoe's material - leather - is calculable and finite. work of art's material (not sound, not word, not stone, not canvas, but spirit)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/a-shoe-s-material-leather-is-calculable-and-finite-work-of-art-s/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [“Your name is a -- bird in my hand a piece of -- ice on the tongue one single movement of the lips. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/your-name-is-a-bird-in-my-hand-a-piece-of-ice-on-the-tongue-one/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [Women talk about love and silent about lovers, men - on the contrary: Speaking of mistresses, but are silent about love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/women-talk-about-love-and-silent-about-lovers-men-on-the-contrary/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [“Teasing and tempting and playing We loved like children, us both But somebody, hiding a smile, Set up the ungentle nets - And here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/teasing-and-tempting-and-playing-we-loved-like-children-us-both-but/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [“Life is a railroad station; soon I will set out - for where? I will not say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/life-is-a-railroad-station-soon-i-will-set-out-for-where-i-will-not/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [“(Everyday life is like a sack: with holes. And you carry it anyway.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/everyday-life-is-like-a-sack-with-holes-and-you-carry-it-anyway/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

[Explore all 47 Marina Tsvetaeva quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

## More Russian-poetry quotes

> [“Lalla Ruk Dearest dream, my soul's enchantment Lovely guest from heav'n above, Most benevolent attender To the earthly realm below, You gave me blissful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-zhukovsky/lalla-ruk-dearest-dream-my-soul-s-enchantment-lovely-guest-from-heav/)

Vasily Zhukovsky

> [“I hope for a light grief in old age. I was born in Rome and it has returned to me. My autumn was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hope-for-a-light-grief-in-old-age-i-was-born-in-rome-and-it-has/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“After a night of insomnia the body gets weaker, Becomes dear but no one’s — not even your own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/after-a-night-of-insomnia-the-body-gets-weaker-becomes-dear-but-no/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [“To a Familiar Genius Flying By Reveal yourself, anonymous enchanter! What heaven hastens you to me? Why draw me to that promised land again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-zhukovsky/to-a-familiar-genius-flying-by-reveal-yourself-anonymous-enchanter/)

Vasily Zhukovsky

> [“If you prefer, I'll be pure raging meat, or if you prefer, as the sky changes tone, I'll be absolutely tender, not a man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-mayakovsky/if-you-prefer-i-ll-be-pure-raging-meat-or-if-you-prefer-as-the-sky/)

[Vladimir Mayakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-mayakovsky/)

> [“A chestnut-haired child Cheering up, went and stood in his stall. And took the whole incident like a young colt - and to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-mayakovsky/a-chestnut-haired-child-cheering-up-went-and-stood-in-his-stall-and/)

[Vladimir Mayakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-mayakovsky/)

> [“But then he touched the flowers With the dry tips of his fingers. "Tell me how men kiss you. Tell me how you kiss.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-akhmatova/but-then-he-touched-the-flowers-with-the-dry-tips-of-his-fingers-tell/)

[Anna Akhmatova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-akhmatova/)

> [“Here's how I used to think you made a book: a poet comes along, mouth half open, inspired, then suddenly the idiot bursts into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-mayakovsky/here-s-how-i-used-to-think-you-made-a-book-a-poet-comes-along-mouth/)

[Vladimir Mayakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-mayakovsky/)

> [“I’ll rise up as a poem…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/i-ll-rise-up-as-a-poem/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [“We don't know how to say goodbye, We wander on, shoulder to shoulder Already the sun is going down You're moody, and I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-akhmatova/we-don-t-know-how-to-say-goodbye-we-wander-on-shoulder-to-shoulder/)

[Anna Akhmatova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-akhmatova/)

> [“I’m kissing you now — across The gap of a thousand years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/i-m-kissing-you-now-across-the-gap-of-a-thousand-years/)

[Marina Tsvetaeva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/)

> [“The Mysterious Visitor Spirit, lovely guest, who are you? Whence have you flown down to us? Taciturn and without a sound Why have you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-zhukovsky/the-mysterious-visitor-spirit-lovely-guest-who-are-you-whence-have/)

Vasily Zhukovsky

[Browse all 13 Russian-poetry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russian-poetry/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Where does such tenderness come from And what do I do with it, you, sly, Adolescent, vagabond singer, Whose lashes couldn’t be longer?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marina Tsvetaeva"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/where-does-such-tenderness-come-from-and-what-do-i-do-with-it-you-sly/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Russian-poetry"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/where-does-such-tenderness-come-from-and-what-do-i-do-with-it-you-sly/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/marina-tsvetaeva-13938_russian-poetry_where-does-such-tenderness-come-from-and_2458071.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/marina-tsvetaeva-13938_russian-poetry_where-does-such-tenderness-come-from-and_2458071.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/marina-tsvetaeva-13938_russian-poetry_where-does-such-tenderness-come-from-and_2458071.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Where does such tenderness come from And what do I do with it, you, sly, Adolescent, vagabond singer, Whose…” — Marina Tsvetaeva",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Marina Tsvetaeva",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-tsvetaeva/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Where does such tenderness come from...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/where-does-such-tenderness-come-from-and-what-do-i-do-with-it-you-sly/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-tsvetaeva/where-does-such-tenderness-come-from-and-what-do-i-do-with-it-you-sly/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
