Seven Poems by Alexander Blok

Song Cycle by Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906 - 1975)

View original-language texts alone: Семь Стихотворений А. Блока: вокально-инструментальная сюита = Sem' stikhotvorenij A. Bloka

1. Песня Офелии
 (Sung text)
Language: Russian (Русский) 
Разлучаясь с девой милой, друг,
Ты клялся мне любить!...
Уезжая в край постылый,
Клятву данную хранить!...

Там, за Данией счастливой,
Берега твои во мгле...
Вал сердитый, говорливый
Моет слёзы на скале...

Милый воин не вернётся,
Весь одетый в серебро...
В гробе тяжко всколыхнётся
Бант и чёрное перо...

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by Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Blok (1880 - 1921)
1. Ophelia's song
Language: English 
When you left me, my dear friend
you promised to love me
You left for a distant land,
and swore to keep your promise!

Beyond the happy land of Denmark,
the shores are in darkness...
The angry waves wash
over the rocks...

My warrior shall not return,
all dressed in silver...
The bow, and the black feather will
restlessly lie in their grave.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2009 by Anne Evans, (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.
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This text was added to the website: 2009-02-07
Line count: 12
Word count: 63

Translation © by Anne Evans
2. Гамаюн птица вещая
 (Sung text)
Language: Russian (Русский) 
На гладях бесконечных вод,
Закатом в пурпур облечённых,
Она вещает и поёт,
Не в силах крыл поднять смятённых...
Вещает иго злых татар,
Вещает казней ряд кровавых,
И трус, и голод, и пожар,
Злодеев силу, гибель правых...
Предвечным ужасом объят,
Прекрасный лик горит любовью,
Но вещей правдою звучат
Уста, запекшиеся кровью!..

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by Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Blok (1880 - 1921)
2. Gamayun, the prophet bird
Language: English 
On endless waters' smooth expanse,
by sunset clad in purple splendour,
in Delphic tone she ever sings,
but cannot spread her weakened wings...
She prophesies the Tartar yoke,
its course of bloody executions,
and quake, and famine, and alarm,
the righteous' downfall, evil's power...
In dark primeval terror wreathed,
her countenance aflame with passion,
she speaks and prophecies resound
through truthful lips with bloodstains clotted.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2016 by Anne Evans, (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.
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This text was added to the website: 2016-05-19
Line count: 12
Word count: 65

Translation © by Anne Evans
3. Мы были вместе
 (Sung text)
Language: Russian (Русский) 
Мы были вместе, помню я...
Ночь волновалась, скрипка пела,
Ты в эти дни была моя,
Ты с каждым часом хорошела...
Сквозь тихое журчанье струй,
Сквозь тайну женственной улыбки
К устам просился поцелуй,
Просились в сердце звуки скрипки...

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by Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Blok (1880 - 1921)
3. We were together
Language: English 
We were together, I recall...
Violins sang in vibrant darkness
day after day you were my own,
with every hour you grew more fair.
The secrets of a woman's smile,
the quiet whispering of breezes
set tender kisses on my lips,
and filled my heart with violin songs.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2016 by Anne Evans, (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.
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This text was added to the website: 2016-05-19
Line count: 8
Word count: 48

Translation © by Anne Evans
4. Город спит
 (Sung text)
Language: Russian (Русский) 
Город спит, окутан мглою,
Чуть мерцают фонари...
Там далёко, за Невою,
Вижу отблески зари.
В этом дальнем отраженьи,
В этих отблесках огня
Притаилось пробужденье
Дней, тоскливых для меня...

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by Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Blok (1880 - 1921)
4.
Language: English 
Gloom enwraps the sleeping city,
lanterns flickering and pale...
Daybreak's distant scintillations
gleam beyond the dark Neva.
In this faraway reflection,
in these glimmerings of flame
lay concealed the origin
of my forsaken, joyless days...

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2016 by Anne Evans, (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.
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Translation of title "Город спит" = "The city sleeps"


This text was added to the website: 2016-05-19
Line count: 8
Word count: 35

Translation © by Anne Evans
5. Буря
 (Sung text)
Language: Russian (Русский) 
О, как безумно за окном
Ревёт, бушует буря злая,
Несутся тучи, льют дождём,
И ветер воет, замирая!
Ужасна ночь! В такую ночь
Мне жаль людей, лишённых крова,
Сожаленье гонит прочь -
В объятья холода сырого!
Бороться с мраком и дождём,
Страдалцев участь разделяя...
О, как безумно за окном
Бушует ветер, изнывая!

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Note: the poem is preceded by the following epigraph: 

Вы, бедные, нагие несчастливцы.
Лир

by Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Blok (1880 - 1921)
5.
Language: English 
Beyond my window, fierce and wild,
the savage tempest roars and rages,
with scudding storm clouds, streaming rain
and howling wind that fades to silence!
An awful night!  On such a night
I pity those bereft of shelter.
A deep compassion drives me forth
to share the winter's damp embraces!...
To strive against the gloom and rain,
at one with outcasts, doomed to suffer...
Beyond my window, fierce and wild,
the raging wind sinks in exhaustion!

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2016 by Anne Evans, (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.
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Translation of title "Буря" = "The Tempest"


This text was added to the website: 2016-05-19
Line count: 12
Word count: 76

Translation © by Anne Evans
6. Тайные знаки
 (Sung text)
Language: Russian (Русский) 
Разгораются тайные знаки
На глухой, непробудной стене.
Золотые и красные маки
Надо мной тяготеют во сне.

Укрываюсь в ночные пещеры
И не помню суровых чудес.
На заре голубые химеры
Смотрят в зеркале ярких небес.

Убегаю в прошедшие миги,
Закрываю от страха глаза,
На листах холодеющей книги -
Золотая девичья коса.

Надо мной небосвод уже низок,
Чёрный сон тяготеет в груди.
Мой конец предначертанный близок,
И война, и пожар - впереди...

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by Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Blok (1880 - 1921)
6.
Language: English 
The secret signs appear
on the impenetrable wall.
Golden and crimson poppies
blossom in my dreams.

I drown in the caverns of night,
and forget the magic of my dreams.
My fanciful thoughts
are reflected in the bright heavens.

These short moments will disappear,
and the beautiful maiden's 
eyes will close,
like the pages of a book.

The canopy of the stars is now low, 
the darkest dreams lie heavy in the heart. 
My end is near, fate has ordained it, 
with war and fire that lie before me...

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2009 by Anne Evans, (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: 

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Translation of title "Тайные знаки" = "Secret signs"


This text was added to the website: 2009-02-07
Line count: 16
Word count: 89

Translation © by Anne Evans
7. Музыка
 (Sung text)
Language: Russian (Русский) 
В ночь, когда уснёт тревога
И город скроется во мгле,
О, сколько музыки у бога,
Какие звуки на земле!

Что буря жизни,
Если розы твои цветут мне и горят!
Что человеческие слёзы,
Когда румянится закат!

Прими, Владычица вселенной,
Сквозь кровь, сквозь муки, сквозь гроба
Последней страсти кубок пенный
От недостойного раба.

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by Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Blok (1880 - 1921)
7. Music
Language: English 
When the night brings peace,
and the city is bathed in darkness,
how heavenly is the music,
what wonderful sounds can be heard!

Forget the stormy hours of life,
when you can see the  roses bloom!
Forget the sorrows of mankind,
when you see the crimson sunset.

O Sovereign of the Universe,
accept through pain, through blood,
this cup, filled to the brim
with the last passions of your unworthy slave.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2009 by Anne Evans, (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: 

Based on:

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This text was added to the website: 2009-02-07
Line count: 12
Word count: 71

Translation © by Anne Evans