How long, my friend | Has it been so long, my friend, since I caught

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by Arseny Arkad'yevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov (1848 - 1913)

Translation © by Jennifer Gliere

Давно‑ль, мой друг

Language: Russian (Русский)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Давно-ль, мой друг, твой взор печальный
Я в расставанья смутный миг ловил.
Чтоб луч его прощальный
Надолго в душу мне проник.

Давно-ль, блуждая одиноко,
В толпе теснящей и чужой
К тебе желанной и далекой 
Я мчался грустною мечтой.

Желанья гасли... Сердце ныло...
Стояло время... Ум молчал...
Давно-ль затишье это было?
Но вихрь свиданья набежал...

Мы вместе вновь, и дни несутся,
Как в море волн летучих строй,
И мысль кипит, и песни льются
Из сердца, полного тобой!

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Note on Transliterations

Text Authorship:

by Arseny Arkad'yevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov (1848 - 1913) [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 Sergei Vasil'yevich Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943), "Давно-ль, мой друг", op. 4 (Шесть романсов = Shest' romansov (Six songs) ) no. 6 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Jennifer Gliere) , "How long, my friend", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Cela fait longtemps, mon amie", copyright © 2014, (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: 76

How long, my friend

Language: English after the Russian (Русский)

Has it been so long, my friend, since I caught
your sad gaze at our farewell moment?
The ray of that farewell
penetrated my soul.
 
Has it been so long, my friend, since, blundering alone
in a constricting and strange crowd,
I rushed to you, distant beloved,
In a sad dream?
 
My desires faded… my heart ached…
Time stopped… my mind was numb…
Has it been so long ago, this calm?
But a whirlwind of reunion came rushing…
 
We are together anew, and the days rush along
As in a flying sea of waves,
And thoughts boil
And songs pour forth from my heart
Brimming over with thoughts of you!

Text Authorship:

Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2017 by Jennifer Gliere, (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 Arseny Arkad'yevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov (1848 - 1913)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2017-04-29
Line count: 17
Word count: 110