V pustyne chakhloj i skupoj,
na pochve, znojem raskalennoj,
anchar, kak groznyj chasovoj, 
stoit odin vo vsej vselennoj.

Priroda zhazhdushchikh stepej
jego v den' gneva porodila
i zelen' mertvyju vetvej,
i korni jadom napoila.

Jad kaplet skvoz' jego koru,
[k poludnju]1 rastopjas' ot znoju,
i zastyvajet vvecheru
gustoj, prozrachnoju smoloju.

K nemu i ptica ne letit,
i [tigr]2 nejdot: lish' vikhor' chjornyj
na drevo smerti nabezhit -
i mchitsja proch' uzhe tletvornyj.

I jesli tucha orosit,
bluzhdaja, list jego dremuchij,
s jego vetvej uzh jadovit
stekajet dozhd' v pesok gorjuchij.

No cheloveka chelovek
poslal k ancharu vlastnym vzgljadom;
i [tot]3 poslushno v put' potek,
i k utru vozvratilsja s jadom.

Prinjos on smertnuju smolu
[da]4 vetv' s uvjadshimi listami,
i pot po blednomu chelu
struilsja khladnymi ruch'jami;

prinjos i oslabel, i ljog
pod svodom shalasha na lyki,
i umer bednyj rab u nog
nepobedimogo vladyki.

A car' tem jadom napital
svoi poslushlivye strely
i s nimi gibel' razoslal
k sosedjam v chuzhdye predely.

A. Arensky sets stanzas 1-2, 4, 6-9

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¹ Rimsky-Korsakov: "поутру" ("poutru")
² Rimsky-Korsakov: "зверь" ("zver'")
³ Rimsky-Korsakov: "он" ("on")
⁴ Arensky: "и" ("i")

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Text Authorship:

• by Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799 - 1837), "Анчар" [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 Anton Stepanovich Arensky (1861 - 1906), "Анчар", op. 14, stanzas 1-2,4,6-9 [ mixed chorus ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Samuil Yevgenyevich Feinberg (1890 - 1962), "Анчар", op. 16 (Три романсов на слова А. Пушкина (Tri romansov na slova A. Pushkina) = Three romances on words by A. Pushkin) no. 1 (1923) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 - 1908), "Анчар - древо смерти", op. 49 (2 Ариозо для баса с сопровождением фортепиано (Ariozo dlja basa s soprovozhdeniem fortepiano)) no. 1 (1882-1897) [ bass and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

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) (Catulle Mendès) , "L'Antchar", appears in Petits poèmes russes, in 1. Pouchkine, no. 1, Paris, G. Charpentier et E. Fasquelle, first published 1893
• FRE French (Français) (Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev) (Gustave Flaubert) , "L’Antchar", subtitle: "L’arbre de la mort", first published 1876

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 36
Word count: 166