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by Lev Aleksandrovich Mey (1822 - 1862)
Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Зачем?
 (Sung text for setting by P. Tchaikovsky)
 See original
Language: Russian (Русский) 
Our translations:  ENG FRE
Зачем же ты приснилася,
Красавица далёкая,
И вспыхнула, что в полыме,
Подушка одинокая?

Ох, сгинь ты, полуночница!
Глаза твои ленивые
И пепел кос рассыпчатый,
И губы горделивые -

Всё наяву мне снилося,
И всё, что грёза вешняя,
Умчалося, -- и на сердце
Легла потьма кромешная!

Зачем же ты приснилася,
Красавица далёкая,
Коль стынет вместе с грёзою 
Полушка одинокая?

Show a transliteration: Default | DIN | GOST

Note on Transliterations

Composition:

    Set to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893), "Зачем?", op. 28 no. 3 (1875)

Text Authorship:

  • by Lev Aleksandrovich Mey (1822 - 1862), "Зачем?", written 1861

See other settings of this text.

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

  • ENG English (Laura Stanfield Prichard) , "Why?", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Pourquoi ?", 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: 16
Word count: 57

Pourquoi ?
 (Sung text translation for setting by P. Tchaikovsky)
 See original
Language: French (Français)  after the Russian (Русский) 
Pourquoi ai-je rêvé de toi,
Beauté lointaine,
Et il brûle, comme s'il était en feu,
Mon oreiller solitaire.

Oh, disparais, vision nocturne !
Tes yeux sont langoureux
Et ta chevelure blond cendré flotte,
Tes lèvres sont hautaines.

Tout ce que j'ai rêvé est vrai au réveil,
Et tout ce  rêve printanier
Disparaît aussitôt, et sur mon cœur
S'étend l'obscurité.

Pourquoi ai-je rêvé de toi,
Beauté lointaine,
Il se refroidit en même temps que mon rêve,
Mon oreiller solitaire.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Russian (Русский) to French (Français) copyright © 2016 by Guy Laffaille, (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.
    Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

  • a text in Russian (Русский) by Lev Aleksandrovich Mey (1822 - 1862), "Зачем?", written 1861
    • Go to the text page.

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This text was added to the website: 2016-09-12
Line count: 16
Word count: 77

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