Oh, for a long while, in the silence of the mysterious night

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by Afanasy Afanas'yevich Fet (1820 - 1892)

Translation © by Sergey Rybin

О, долго буду я, в молчаньи ночи тайной

Language: Russian (Русский)

Our translations: ENG FRE SPA

О, долго буду я, в молчаньи ночи тайной,
Коварный лепет твой, улыбку, взор случайный,
Перстам послушную волос густую прядь,
Из мыслей изгонять, и снова призывать;
Дыша порывисто, один, никем не зримый,
Досады и стыда румянами палимый,
Искать хотя одной загадочной черты
В словах, которые произносила ты;
Шептать и поправлять былые выраженья
Речей моих с тобой, исполненных смущенья,
И в опьянении, наперекор уму,
Заветным именем будить ночную мглу.

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• S. Rachmaninov

S. Rachmaninov sets lines 1-4, 9-12

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Text Authorship:

by Afanasy Afanas'yevich Fet (1820 - 1892), no title, first published 1844 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 70

Oh, for a long while, in the silence of...

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Language: English after the Russian (Русский)

Oh, for a long while, in the silence of the mysterious night, 
Your beguiling murmur, smile, fleeting glance, 
A luscious strand of your hair, obedient to my fingers, 
Will I banish from my thoughts - but then recall again; 
Breathing impulsively, alone, unseen by anyone, 
Blushing and burning with vexation and shame, 
I will search for secret messages
In the words you uttered;
Whisper and reconsider the phrases 
Of my embarrassed conversations with you, 
And, as if intoxicated, against all reason, 
With your cherished name awaken the nightly haze.

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Translation of title "В молчаньи ночи тайной" = "In the silence of the mysterious night"

Text Authorship:

Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2017 by Sergey Rybin, (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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Based on:

a text in Russian (Русский) by Afanasy Afanas'yevich Fet (1820 - 1892), no title, first published 1844
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This text was added to the website: 2017-08-02
Line count: 12
Word count: 90