Instant effrayant | Tu écoutes, la tête penchée

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by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)

Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Страшная минута

Language: Russian (Русский)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Ты внимаешь, вниз склонив головку,
очи опустив и тихо вздыхая!
Ты не знаешь, как мгновенья
эти страшны для меня
и полны значенья,
как меня смущает
это молчанье.
Я приговор твой жду,
я жду решенья - 
иль нож ты мне в сердце вонзишь,
иль рай мне откроешь.

Ах, не терзай меня,
скажи лишь слово!
От чего же робкое признанье
в сердце так тебе запало глубоко?
Ты вздыхаешь, ты дрожишь и плачешь;
иль слова любви в устах твоих
немеют, или ты меня жалеешь, не любишь?
Я приговор твой жду, я жду решенья -
иль нож ты мне в сердце вонзишь,
иль рай мне откроешь.

Ах, внемнли же мольбе моей,
отвечай, отвечай скорей!
я приговор твой жду, я жду решенья!

Notes (provided by Laura Prichard):
Lines 10 and 11 of the first two stanzas: "или… или" is more common in modern Russian, meaning “either … or”

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Text Authorship:

by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893), "Страшная минута", op. 28 (Шесть романсов = Shest' romansov (Six romances)) no. 6 (1875) [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Fearful minute", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Instant effrayant", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 115

Instant effrayant

Language: French (Français) after the Russian (Русский)

Tu écoutes, la tête penchée,
Tes yeux sont baissés, tu soupires doucement,
Tu ne sais pas combien ce moment
Est pour moi terrible
Et plein de sens,
Que je suis troublé
Par ce silence.
J'attends ton verdict,
J'attends ta décision !
Ou tu plonges un couteau dans mon cœur
Ou tu m'ouvres le paradis.

Oh, ne me torture pas,
Dis un mot !
En quoi ma timide confession
Affecte-t-elle ton cœur si profondément ?
Tu soupires, tu trembles et tu pleures ;
Ou les mots d'amour sont gelés dans ta bouche,
Ou tu te sens désolée de ne pas m'aimer ?
J'attends ton verdict, J'attends ta décision !
Ou tu plonges un couteau dans mon cœur
Ou tu m'ouvres le paradis.

Oh, entends ma prière,
Réponds-moi, réponds-moi vite !
J'attends ton verdict, j'attends ta décision !

Text Authorship:

Translation from Russian (Русский) to French (Français) copyright © 2016 by Guy Laffaille, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Russian (Русский) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2016-09-09
Line count: 24
Word count: 128