So what is it? | Your image is bright, angelic

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by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)

Translation © by Emily Ezust

Так что же?

Language: Russian (Русский)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Твой образ светлый, ангельский
И денно и ношно со мной;
И слёзы, и грёзы, 
И жуткие, страшные сны,
Ты всё наполняешь собой!
Ты всё наполняешь собой!
Так что же? Что же? Что же?
Хотъ мучь, да люби!

Я тайну страсти пагубной
Глубоко хороню;
А ты коришь, стыдом язвишь!
Ты только терзаешь меня
Безжалостной, грубой насмешкой,
Безжалостной, грубой насмешкой!
Так что же? что же? что же?
Терзай, да люби!

Тебе до гроба верен я,
Но ты каждый день, каждый час
Изменою яд в сердце льёшь
Ты жизнь отравляешь мою!
Нет, я не снесу этой муки!
Нет жалости в сердце твоём!
Так что же? что же? что же?
Убей, но люби!

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Note on Transliterations

Text Authorship:

by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893) [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 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893), "Так что же?", op. 16 (Шесть романсов = Shest' romansov (Six romances)) no. 5 (1872) [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Emily Ezust) , "So what is it?", copyright © 2022
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Pourquoi donc ?", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bruno Tutenberg) , "Warum nur?"

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 109

So what is it?

Language: English after the Russian (Русский)

Your image is bright, angelic
and with me both day and night;
and tears and visions
and dreadful, horrifying dreams, 
you fill everything with yourself!
You fill everything with yourself!
So what is it? What is it?
Torment me, and love me!

I bury the secret of my passion,
bury it deeply;
and you reproach and taunt me with shame!
You are only tormenting me 
with merciless, cruel mockery,
with merciless, cruel mockery,
So what is it? What is it?
Torment me, and love me!

I am faithful to you till the grave,
but every day, every hour, you
poison my heart with treachery,
you poison my life!
No, I won't stand this torture! 
There is no mercy in your heart!
So what is it? What is it?
Kill me, but love me!

Text Authorship:

Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2022 by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive
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Based on:

a text in Russian (Русский) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2022-08-18
Line count: 24
Word count: 133