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Леса дремучие, вы мрачны, как соборы, Печален, как орган, ваш непрестанный шум... В сердцах отверженных в минуты горьких дум Предсмертный слышен стон на грозные укоры... Ты, страшный Океан, твоих валов скаканье, Твой беспощадный рёв в полночной тишине И хохот яростный и горькое рыданье Мой смех и скорбный вопль напоминают мне. Люблю тебя, о ночь, тебе мои мечты. Но трепет ясных звёзд мне в душу льёт волненье, А я ищу лишь тьмы, лишь хладной пустоты... Но мрак лишь холст пустой, и полный умиленья, Я вижу вновь на нём забытые виденья И милых призраков родимые черты.
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Note on TransliterationsAuthorship:
- by Lev L'vovich Kobylinsky (1889 - 1947), as Ellis [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "Obsession", appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 79, Paris, Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, first published 1861
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 Ivanovich Taneyev (1856 - 1915), "Леса дремучие", op. 26 no. 4 (1908), published 1909 [ voice and piano ], from 10 Стихотворений из сборника Эллисъ «Иммортели» (10 Stikhotvorenij iz sbornika Ellis 'Immorteli') = 10 Poems from Ellis's Immortelles, no. 4, Berlin : Russischer Musikverlag [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Aleksey Berg) , "The dense woods", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-03
Line count: 14
Word count: 94
O somber, dense woods – like cathedrals, How sad is your continuous rumbling, like that of an organ, In the dejected hearts, full of bitter thoughts, One can hear the dying groan responding to menacing reproaches... You, terrifying Ocean, the hopping of your billows, Your merciless roar in the silence of midnight, And fierce laughter and bitter wailing, They all remind me of my own laughter and wailing. I love you, Night, my dreams are for you. But the trembling of bright stars pours anxiety into my soul, I seek only darkness, only cold emptiness. But darkness is but a blank canvas, and full of delight, Once again, I can see on it forgotten visions, And the familiar figures of dear ghosts.
Authorship:
- Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2019 by Aleksey Berg, (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 Lev L'vovich Kobylinsky (1889 - 1947), as Ellis
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Charles Baudelaire (1821 - 1867), "Obsession", appears in Les Fleurs du mal, in 1. Spleen et Idéal, no. 79, Paris, Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, first published 1861
This text was added to the website: 2019-07-21
Line count: 14
Word count: 122