Si les roses perdent leurs pétales doucement

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by Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky (1865 - 1941)

Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Если розы тихо осыпаются

Language: Russian (Русский)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Если розы тихо осыпаются,
Если звёзды меркнут в небесах,
Об утесы волны разбиваются,
Гаснет луч зари на облаках,

Это смерть, -- но без борьбы мучительной,
Это смерть, пленяя красотой,
Обещает отдых упоительный, --
Лучший дар природы всеблагой.

У неё, наставницы божественной,
Научитесь, люди, умирать,
Чтоб с улыбкой кроткой и торжественной
Свой конец безропотно встречать.

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Text Authorship:

by Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky (1865 - 1941), no title, written 1883 [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 N. I. Polezhayev , "Если розы тихо осыпаются" [sung text not yet checked]
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893), "Смерть", op. 57 (Шесть романсов = Shest' romansov (Six romances)) no. 5 (1884), also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Hans Schmidt (1854 - 1923) ; composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

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

ENG English (Sergey Rybin) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , 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: 12
Word count: 52

Si les roses perdent leurs pétales...

Language: French (Français) after the Russian (Русский)

Si les roses perdent leurs pétales doucement,
Si les étoiles disparaissent dans le ciel,
Si les vagues se brisent contre les rochers,
Si les rayons de l'aube s'éteignent dans les nuages,

C'est la mort, mais sans lutte déchirante ;
Cette mort, captivante de beauté.
Elle promet un charmant repos
Qui est le meilleur cadeau de la nature.

Cette divine préceptrice, elle
Apprend à mourir à vous, les hommes,
Avec un sourire doux et solennel,
À rencontrer sa fin avec résignation.

About the headline (FAQ)

Translation of title "Смерть" = "Mort"

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.
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Based on:

a text in Russian (Русский) by Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky (1865 - 1941), no title, written 1883
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2016-09-09
Line count: 12
Word count: 79