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by Osip Emil'evich Mandelstam (1891 - 1938)

Kvartira ticha, kak bumaga —
Language: Russian (Русский) 
Kvartira ticha, kak bumaga —
Pustaja, bez vsjakich zatej, —
I slyšno, kak bul'kaet vlaga
Po trubam vnutri batarej.

Imuščestvo v polnom porjadke,
Ljaguškoj zastyl telefon,
Vidavšie vidy manatki
Na ulicu prosjatsja von.

A steny prokljatye tonki,
I nekuda bol'še bežat',
I ja kak durak na grebenke
Objazan komu-to igrat'.

Naglej komsomol'skoj jačejki
I vuzovskoj pesni bojčej,
Prisevšich na škol'noj skamejke
Učit' ščebetat' palačej.

Kakoj-nibud' izobrazitel',
Česatel' kolchoznogo l'na,
Černila i krovi smesitel',
Dostoin takogo rožna.

Kakoj-nibud' čestnyj predatel',
Provarennyj v čistkach, kak sol',
Ženy i detej soderžatel',
Takuju uchlopaet mol'.

Pajkovye knigi čitaju,
Pen'kovye reči lovlju
I groznoe bajuški-baju
Kolchoznomu baju poju.

I stol'ko mučitel'noj zlosti
Tait v sebe každyj namek,
Kak budto vkolačival gvozdi
Nekrasova zdes' molotok.

Davaj že s toboj, kak na plache,
Za sem'desjat let načinat',
Tebe, stariku i nerjache,
Pora sapogami stučat'.

I vmesto ključa Ipokreny
Davnišnego stracha struja
Vorvetsja v chalturnye steny
Moskovskogo zlogo žil'ja.

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Text Authorship:

  • by Osip Emil'evich Mandelstam (1891 - 1938), no title, written 1933 [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 Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin (b. 1932), "Квартира тиха, как бумага", 2002, published 2005 [ tenor, narrator and piano ], from Век мой, зверь мой = My Age, My Wild Beast = Meine Zeit, mein Raubtier, no. 6, Schott Music International & Co. [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2023-01-14
Line count: 40
Word count: 151

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