by Mikhail Yur'yevich Lermontov (1814 - 1841)
Translation by Martha Gilbert Dickinson Bianchi (1863 - 1943)
Кинжал
Language: Russian (Русский)
Люблю тебя, булатный мой кинжал, Товарищ светлый и холодный. Задумчивый грузин на месть тебя ковал, На грозный бой точил черкес свободный. [Лилейная]1 рука тебя мне поднесла В знак памяти в минуту расставанья, И в первый раз не кровь вдоль по тебе текла, Но светлая слеза, жемчужина страданья. И чёрные глаза, остановясь на мне, Исполнены таиственной печали, Как сталь твоя при трепетном огне, То вдруг тускнели, то сверкали. Ты дан мне в спутники, любви залог немой, И страннику в тебе пример не бесполезный, Да, я не изменюсь и буду тверд душой, Как ты, как ты, мой друг железный!
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Cui: "Lilejcaja"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
1 Cui: "Lilejcaja"
Show a transliteration: Default | DIN | GOST
Note on TransliterationsText Authorship:
- by Mikhail Yur'yevich Lermontov (1814 - 1841), "Кинжал", written 1838 [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 César Antonovich Cui (1835 - 1918), "Кинжал", op. 49 (Семь романсов = Sem' romansov (Seven romances)) no. 7 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Karl Yulyevich Davidov (1838 - 1889), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Grigory (German) Semyonovich Gamburg (1900 - 1967), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Yuly Antonovich Kapri (1831 - 1918), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Boris Sergeyevich Maizel' (b. 1907), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by A. Maklakov , "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sergey Vladimirovich Protopopov (1883 - 1954), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (1829 - 1894), "Кинжал", op. 36 (Zwölf Lieder aus dem Russischem von F. Bodenstedt) no. 5 (1849-51) [ voice and piano ], Wien, Spina, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Dmitry Fyodorovich Tarkhov (1890 - 1966), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anatoly Georgievich Umantsev (b. 1940), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sergey Nikiforovich Vasilenko (1872 - 1956), "Кинжал" [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) , "Der Dolch", appears in Russische Dichter, first published 1866 ; composed by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Martha Gilbert Dickinson Bianchi) , "The dagger", appears in Russian Lyrics, first published 1916
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 98
The dagger
Language: English after the Russian (Русский)
I love thee dagger mine, thou sure defence-- I love the beauty of thy glitter cold, A brooding Georgian whetted thee for war, Forged for revenge thou wert by Khirgez bold. A lily hand, in parting's silent woe, Gave thee to me in morning's twilight shade; Instead of blood, I saw thee first be-dewed With sorrow's tear-pearls flowing o'er thy blade. Two dusky eyes so true and pure of soul, Mute in the throe of love's mysterious pain-- Like thine own steel within the fire's glow, Flashed forth to me--then faded dull again. For a soul-pledge thou wert by love appointed, In my life's night to guide me to my end; Stedfast and true my heart shall be forever, Like thee, like thee, my steely hearted friend!
Text Authorship:
- by Martha Gilbert Dickinson Bianchi (1863 - 1943), "The dagger", appears in Russian Lyrics, first published 1916 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Russian (Русский) by Mikhail Yur'yevich Lermontov (1814 - 1841), "Кинжал", written 1838
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-02-02
Line count: 16
Word count: 127