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by Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev (1803 - 1873)
Translation © by Guy Laffaille

Бессонница
Language: Russian (Русский) 
Our translations:  FRE
Часов однообразный бой,
Томительная ночи повесть.
Язык для всех равно чужой,
И внятный всякому, как совесть.

Кто без тоски внимал из нас,
Среди всемирного молчанья,
Глухие времени стенанья,
Пророчески прощалный глас.

Нам мнится: мир осиротелый
Неотразимый рок настиг.
И мы, в борьбе с природой целой
Покинуты на нас самих.

И наша жизнь стоит пред нами,
Как призрак на краю земли,
И с нашим веком и друзьями
Бледнеет в сумрачной дали.

И новое младое племя
Меж тем на солнце расцвело,
И нас, друзья, и наше время
Давно забвеньем занесло.

Лишь изредка обряд печальный
Свершая в полунощный час,
Металла голос погребальный
Порой оплакивает нас.

Show a transliteration: Default | DIN | GOST

Note on Transliterations

Text Authorship:

  • by Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev (1803 - 1873) [author's text not yet checked 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 Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880 - 1951), "Бессонница", op. 37 (Пять стихотворений (Pjat' stikhotvorenij)) no. 1 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Insomnie", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Yuri Mitelman

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 102

Insomnie
Language: French (Français)  after the Russian (Русский) 
L'horloge frappe les heures de manière monotone,
C'est l'histoire angoissante de la nuit.
Une langue étrangère également pour tous,
Et intelligible à tout le monde comme une conscience.

Qui parmi nous écouterait sans angoisse
Au milieu du monde du silence,
Les gémissements sourds du temps,
La voix prophétique de l'adieu.

Il nous semble que le monde orphelin
Est rattrapé par un destin irrésistible,
Et nous, dans la lutte avec la nature,
Sommes abandonnés à nous-mêmes.

Et notre vie se dresse devant nous,
Comme un fantôme au bord de la terre,
Et notre siècle et nos amis
S'évanouissent dans un morne lointain.

Et la nouvelle jeune génération
A fleuri sous le soleil,
Et nos amis et notre temps
Depuis longtemps l'oubli les a emportés.

Seulement parfois un triste rite
S'accomplit à minuit,
La voix funèbre métallique
Se lamente sur nous.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from Russian (Русский) to French (Français) copyright © 2017 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 Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev (1803 - 1873)
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2017-02-25
Line count: 24
Word count: 139

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–Emily Ezust, Founder

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