by Anton Antonovich Delvig (1798 - 1831)
Translation © by Sergey Rybin

Шестнадцать лет
 (Sung text for setting by A. Dargomyzhsky)
 See original
Language: Russian (Русский)  after the German (Deutsch) 
Our translations:  ENG
Мне минуло шестнадцать лет,
  Но сердце было в воле;
Я думала: весь белый свет –
  Наш бор, поток и поле.

К нам юноша пришёл в село:
  Кто он? отколь? не знаю,
Но всё меня к нему влекло,
  Всё мне твердило: знаю!

 ... 

Куда пойду – и он за мной.
  На долгую ль разлуку? –
Не знаю! Только он с тоской
  Безмолвно жал мне руку.

«Что хочешь ты? – спросила я.
  Скажи, пастух унылый».
И с жаром он сказал: «Люблю люблю тебя!»
  И тихо назвал милой.

И мне б тогда «люблю» сказать ! 
Но слов найти не знала,
На землю потупила взгляд,
  Краснела, трепетала!

Ни слова не сказала я,
  За что ж ему сердиться?
За что покинул он меня?
  И скоро ль возвратится?

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2,5-8 of the original text.

Show a transliteration: Default | DIN | GOST

Note on Transliterations

Composition:

Text Authorship:

Based on:

Go to the general single-text view

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: 2008-08-30
Line count: 32
Word count: 150

Language: English  after the Russian (Русский) 
I had turned sixteen,
But my heart was carefree;
I thought: the entire world
Is our forest, stream and field.

A youth came to our village:
Who is he? Where from? I didn't know -
But everything attracted me to him,
Everything was telling me: I know him!

 ... 

Anywhere I went he would follow me.
Is it before a long parting, I don't know -
But without saying a word, anxiously,
He squeezed my hand tightly.

"What do you wish?" - I asked, -
"Tell me, melancholy shepherd."
He said with passion: "I love you, love you!"
And quietly called me sweetheart.

I wish I'd also said then "I love you!"
But I couldn't find the words,
I lowered my gaze to the ground,
Blushing and trembling!

I didn't say a word;
What could have made him angry?
Why did he abandon me?
And how soon will he return?

Note: the text above is taken from stanzas 1-2,5-8 of the original text.

Note: this is a translation of Dargomyzhsky's version.

Translation of title "Шестнадцать лет" = "Sixteen years".

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.
    Contact: 

Based on:

Based on:

Go to the general single-text view


This text was added to the website: 2020-09-16
Line count: 32
Word count: 145