Я любила его 
Жарче дня и огня,
Как [другие любить
Не смогут никогда!]1

Только с ним лишь одним 
Я на свете жила;
Ему душу мою, 
Ему жизнь отдала!

Что за ночь, за луна, 
Когда друга я жду!
[И]2 бледна, холодна, 
Замираю, дрожу!

Вот [он идёт]3, поёт: 
«Где ты зорька моя?»
Вот он руку берёт, 
Вот целует меня!

«Милый друг, погаси
Поцелуи твои!
И без них при тебе 
Огнь пылает в крови;

И без них при тебе 
[Жгёт]4 румянец лицо,
И волнуется грудь 
[И кипит горячо!]5

И блистают глаза
[Лучезарной звездой!»
Я жила для него --
Я любила душой!]6

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Confirmed with А. В. Кольцов, Полное собрание стихотворений, Ленинград, Советский писатель, 1958.

¹ Balakirev, Varlamov: "другим не любить/ Никогда, никогда!") ("drugim ne ljubit' / Nikogda, nikogda!"
² Balakirev, Varlamov: "Вся" ("Vsja")
³ Balakirev, Dyubyuk, Varlamov: "идёт он" ("idjot on")
⁴ Balakirev, Dyubyuk, Varlamov: "Жжёт" ("Zhzhjot")
⁵ omitted by Balakirev, Varlamov.
⁶ Balakirev: "Словно в небе звезда" ("Slovno v nebe zvezda!"); omitted by Varlamov.

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Note on Transliterations

Text Authorship:

• by Aleksey Vasil'yevich Kol'tsov (1808 - 1842), "Русская песня", written 1841, first published 1841 [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 Aleksei Vladimirovich Abutkov (1875 - 1945), "Я любила его", op. 12 (10 Писен) no. 5 [ voice and piano ], Москва (Moscow), Советвенность Издателя `Симфония' [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev (1837 - 1910), "Я любила его" [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Otto Johann Anton Dütsch (1823 - 1863), as Оттон Иванович Дютш, "Я любила его" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Aleksandr Ivanovich Dyubyuk (1812 - 1897), "Я любила его", published 1844 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Yuly Antonovich Kapri (1831 - 1918), "Я любила его" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Nikolay Filippovich Khristianovich (1828 - 1890), "Я любила его" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Vladimir Timofeyevich Sokolov (1830 - 1890), "Я любила его" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Sergey Aleksandrovich Trailin (1872 - 1951), "Я любила его" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Aleksandr Yegorovich Varlamov (1801 - 1848), "Я любила его" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Pauline Viardot-García (1821 - 1910), "Я любила его", VWV 1062 (1865), published 1865 [ medium voice and piano ], also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892) , "Heißer glühte mein Herz" ; composed by Pauline Viardot-García.
  • Go to the text.
    

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

• ENG English (Johann Winkler) , "I have loved him!", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 28
Word count: 104

I have loved him,
more ardently than the day and the fire,
loved him, like others
never can love!

With him alone
I have lived on earth;
I've given my heart to him,
I've given my life to him!

What a night, what a moon
when I'm waiting for my friend!
I am pale, I am cold,
I'm trembling, I'm passing away!

There he comes, he sings:
"Where are you, my Aurora?"
Already he takes my hand,
already he kisses me!

"Dear friend, make an end
with your kisses!
Even without them, if you are present,
the fire blazes in my blood,

even without them, if you are present,
my face burns with blushing,
my bosom flows
and is boiling hot!

And my eyes shine
like a sparkling star!"
I have lived for him,
I have loved him with my heart!