Не спрашивай, зачем унылой думой
Language: Russian (Русский)
Не спрашивай, зачем унылой думой
Среди забав я часто омрачён,
Зачем на всё подъемлю взор угрюмый,
Зачем не мил мне сладкой жизни сон;
Не спрашивай, зачем душой [остылой]1
Я разлюбил веселую любовь
И никого не называю милой:
Кто раз любил, [уж]2 не полюбит вновь;
Кто счастье знал, [уж]2 не узнает счастья.
На краткий миг блаженство нам дано:
От юности, от нег и сладострастья
Останется уныние одно...
Available sung texts: (what is this?)
• N. Titov About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Titov: "унылой" ("unyloj")
2 Titov: "тот" ("tot")
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Note on TransliterationsText Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Aleksandr Sergeyevich Dargomyzhsky (1813 - 1869), "Не спрашивай, зачем" [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Aleksandr Tikhonovich Gretchaninov (1864 - 1956), "Не спрашивай, зачем" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Vasily Sergeyevich Kalinnikov (1866 - 1901), "Не спрашивай, зачем" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Grigory Aleksandrovich Kushelev-Bezborodko (1832 - 1870), "Не спрашивай, зачем" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Nikolai Alexeyevich Titov (1800 - 1875), "Не спрашивай, зачем" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Nikolai Sergeyevich Titov (1798 - 1843), "Не спрашивай, зачем", published 1834 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sergey Rybin) , copyright © 2020, (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: 69
Don't ask why, with gloomy thoughts
Language: English after the Russian (Русский)
Don't ask why, with gloomy thoughts,
I'm often overcome amidst amusements,
Why I look at everything with sombre eyes,
Why sweet life is not dear to me.
Don't ask why, with my cold soul,
I've fallen out of favour with frivolous love
And no one I call my dear!
The one who loved once won't love again;
The one who knew happiness, will find it no more!
Ecstasy is given to us but for a brief moment!
After youth, caresses, and lustfulness
Only melancholy will endure!
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2020 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:
This text was added to the website: 2020-09-16
Line count: 12
Word count: 86
