Quote Originally Posted by BabaYaga
Especially: "Три желанья, три желания" - very intriguing (for a russian-illiterate like me) ..... would the nuance between the two be the same as between f.ex "с тобою" and "с тобой" (poetical vs 'basic')?
I wouldn't say that it poetical or usual form [с тобой] and [с тобойу] - in spoken language the last vowel is reduced. The same thing with желание /желанье - и makes н soft and its reduced, IMHO.