If roses quietly shed their petals

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by Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky (1865 - 1941)

Translation © by Sergey Rybin

Если розы тихо осыпаются

Language: Russian (Русский)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Если розы тихо осыпаются,
Если звёзды меркнут в небесах,
Об утесы волны разбиваются,
Гаснет луч зари на облаках,

Это смерть, -- но без борьбы мучительной,
Это смерть, пленяя красотой,
Обещает отдых упоительный, --
Лучший дар природы всеблагой.

У неё, наставницы божественной,
Научитесь, люди, умирать,
Чтоб с улыбкой кроткой и торжественной
Свой конец безропотно встречать.

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• P. Tchaikovsky

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Text Authorship:

by Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky (1865 - 1941), no title, written 1883 [author's text checked 1 time 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 N. I. Polezhayev , "Если розы тихо осыпаются" [sung text not yet checked]
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893), "Смерть", op. 57 (Шесть романсов = Shest' romansov (Six romances)) no. 5 (1884), also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Hans Schmidt (1854 - 1923) ; composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Sergey Rybin) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , 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: 12
Word count: 52

If roses quietly shed their petals

Language: English after the Russian (Русский)

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If roses quietly shed their petals,
If the stars fade away in the sky,
The waves crash into the rocks
Or the rays of sunset disappear in the clouds,

It is death, -- but without the agonizing struggle,
It is death, bewitching with its beauty,
Promising a ravishing repose,
The best gift of an all-benevolent Nature.

From this Divine mentor, humans,
Learn to die,
So with a modest and solemn smile
You can humbly meet your end.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translation of title "Смерть" = "Death"

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 Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky (1865 - 1941), no title, written 1883
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This text was added to the website: 2017-08-08
Line count: 12
Word count: 76