It was in early spring

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by Aleksei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Count (1817 - 1875)

Translation © by Jacob Wilde

То было раннею весной

Language: Russian (Русский)

Our translations: ENG ENG FRE

То было раннею весной,
трава едва всходила,
ручьи текли, не парил зной,
и зелень рощ сквозила;

Труба пастушья поутру
ещё не пела звонко,
и в завитках ещё в бору,
был папоротник тонкий;

То было раннею весной,
в тени берёз то было,
когда с улыбкой предо мной
ты очи опустила...

То на любовь мою в ответ
ты опустила вежды!
О жизнь! о, лес! о, солнца свет!
О, юность! о, надежды!

И плакал я перед тобой,
на лик твой глядя милый;
то было раннею весной,
в тени берёз то было!

То было в утро наших лет!
О, счастье! о слёзы!
о, лес! о, жизнь! о, солнца свет!
О, свежий дух берёзы!

Available sung texts: (what is this?)

• N. Rimsky-Korsakov

N. Rimsky-Korsakov sets stanzas 1, 3-6

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Text Authorship:

by Aleksei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Count (1817 - 1875), no title, first published 1871 [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 Vladimir Fyodorovich Kazimir , "То было раннею весной" [sung text not yet checked]
by Aleksandr Borisovich Matyukhin (b. 1947), "То было раннею весной" [sung text not yet checked]
by Nikolay Sergeyevich Potolovsky (1878 - 1927), "То было раннею весной" [sung text not yet checked]
by Rigelman , "То было раннею весной" [sung text checked 1 time]
by Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 - 1908), "То было раннею весной", op. 43 no. 4 (1897), stanzas 1,3-6 [ voice and piano ], from Весной (Vesnoj), no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Aleksandr Nikolayevich Shefer (1866 - 1914), "То было раннею весной" [sung text checked 1 time]
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893), "То было раннею весной", op. 38 (Шесть романсов = Shest' romansov (Six romances)) no. 2, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
by Sergey Vladimirovich Yuferov (1865 - 1927), "То было раннею весною" [sung text not yet checked]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , no title ; composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
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Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Ottokar Nováček.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]

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

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

It was in early spring

Language: English after the Russian (Русский)

It was in early spring, 
The grass had hardly sprouted, 
The brooks flowed, the heat did not stay high, 
And the green of the grove was translucent; 

The shepherd’s pipe in the morning 
Still did not sing loudly, 
And still in curls in the evergreen forest 
Was the delicate fern; 

It was in early spring, 
It was in the shade of the birches, 
When facing me with a smile 
You lowered your eyes… 

That in response to my love 
You lowered your eyelids! 
Oh, life! oh, forest! oh, sunlight! 
Oh, youth! oh, hope!

And I cried in front of you, 
Looking into your face sweetly; 
It was in early spring, 
It was in the shade of the birches! 

It was in the morning of our years! 
Oh, happiness! oh tears! 
Oh, forest! oh, life! oh, sunlight! 
Oh, the fresh scent of the birches!

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Text Authorship:

Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2023 by Jacob Wilde, (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 Aleksei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Count (1817 - 1875), no title, first published 1871
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2023-08-24
Line count: 24
Word count: 143