Люблю тебя, месяц, когда озаряешь
Толпу шаловливых красавиц, идущих
С ночного купанья домой!

[Прекрасен ты, воздух, неся издалека
С венков их роскошных волну аромата,
Их нам возвещая приход.]1

Прекрасно ты, море, когда твою свежесть
Я слышу у них на груди н ланитах,
И в чёрных, тяжёлых косах...2

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¹ Serov:

Цветы, вы прекрасны в вeнках благовонных 
На юных шалуньях,  далеко, далеко
Нам их возвещая приход!

² Rimsky Korsakov adds: "Люблю тебя, месяц,/ Прекрасен ты, воздух,/ Прекрасно ты, море!" (first three words from each stanza).

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Note on Transliterations

Text Authorship:

• by Apollon Nikolayevich Maykov (1821 - 1897), "Купальщицы", subtitle: "(Мелодия с берегов Ганга)" [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 Sergey Mikhailovich Lyapunov (1859 - 1924), "Мелодия с берегов Ганга", op. 32 no. 3 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 - 1908), "Люблю тебя, месяц", op. 41 (Четыре романса (Chetyre romansa)) no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Alexander Nikolayevich Serov (1820 - 1871), "Люблю тебя, мeсяц, когда озаряешь", 1861-1863, published 1885, first performed 1863 [ soli, chorus, and orchestra ], from opera Юдифь, no. 19 [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• ENG English (Emily Ezust) , copyright © 2023

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 9
Word count: 49

I love you, Moon, when you illuminate
The crowd of beautiful girls 
Coming home after a night-time swim!

You are beautiful, Breeze, wafting from afar
A lovely fragrance from their garlands,
Announcing to us their arrival.

You are beautiful, Sea, when I sense your freshness
On their bosoms and cheeks
And in their heavy, black braids.