by Aleksey Nikolayevich Pleshcheyev (1825 - 1893)
Translation © by Anton Bespalov, Rianne Stam

Дума
Language: Russian (Русский)  after the Ukrainian (Українська) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE
Проходят дни... проходят ночи;
Прошло и лето; Шелестит 
Лист пожелтевший; гаснут очи; 
Заснули думы; Сердце спит.
Заснуло всё... Не знаю я --
живёшь ли ты, душа моя?
Бесстрастно я гляжу на свет,
И нету слёз, и смеха нет!

И доля где моя? Судьбою,
Знать, не дано мне никакой...
Но если я благой не стою,
Зачем не выпало хоть злой?
Не дай, о Боже! как во сне 
Блуждать... остынуть сердцем мне.
Гнилой колодой на пути
Лежать меня не [попусти]1.

[Но жить мне дай, творец небесный!]2 
О, дай мне сердцем, сердцем жить!
Чтоб я хвалил твой мир чудесный,
Чтоб мог я ближнего любить!
Страшна неволя, тяжко в ней!
[На воле жить и спать -- страшней!
Прожить ужасно без следа,
И смерть и жизнь - одно тогда.]3

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

•   S. Rachmaninov 

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Rachmaninov: "допусти" ("dopusti")
2 Rachmaninov: "Но дай мне жить, творец," ("No daj mne zhit', tvorec,")
3 omitted by Rachmaninov.

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Text Authorship:

Based on:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • ENG English (Anton Bespalov) (Rianne Stam) , "Brooding", copyright © 2004, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Rêverie", copyright © 2022, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2003-11-18
Line count: 24
Word count: 125

Brooding
Language: English  after the Russian (Русский) 
The days pass ... the nights pass;
Summer has also gone; A yellowed leaf 
rustles; the eyes grow dim; 
the thoughts have died down; the heart sleeps;
Everything has gone to sleep... I do not know
whether you live, my love.
Coldly I look at the world,
Neither in tears, nor with laughter!

And what is my lot? My fate 
is to remain unknowing...
But if no good fortune is to befall me,
Why can't I at least know the bad one?
Give not, o God, that I have to 
wander as if in dreams...
And have my heart grow cold
Do not allow me to lay myself down
Like a rotten log on the road,

But allow me to live, my Creator, 
o give that I live from the heart, from the heart!
So that I could praise your wonderful world,
So that I could love my neighbour!
Terrible mental bondage! It is hard therein.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2004 by Anton Bespalov and Rianne Stam, (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: 2004-10-01
Line count: 22
Word count: 155