Xodit Spes` naduvayuchis`,
S boku na bok perevalivayas`.
Rostom-to Spes` arshin s chetvert`yu,
Shapka-to na nyom vo celu sazhen`,
[Puzo-to ego vsyo v zhemchuge,
Szadi-to u nego razzolocheno.]1
A i [zashyol]2 by' Spes` k otczu, k materi,
Da vorota nekrasheny'!
A i pomolilsya b Spes` vo cerkvi Bozhiej,
Da pol ne metyon!
[Idyot]3 Spes`, vidit: na nebe raduga;
Povernul Spes` vo druguyu storonu:
Ne prigozhe-de mne nagibatisya!

M. Musorgsky sets lines 1-4, 7-13

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¹ Borodin: "Пузо-то у Спеси в жемчуге, / Сзади-то у Спеси раззолочено." ("Puzo-to u Spesi v zhemchuge, / Szadi-to u Spesi razzolocheno.")
² Borodin: "пошёл" ("poshjol")
³ Borodin: "Ходит" ("Khodit")

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Text Authorship:

• by Aleksei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Count (1817 - 1875), no title, first published 1856 [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 Aleksandr Porfir'yevich Borodin (1833 - 1887), "Спесь", 1884/5?, published 1890 [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Viktor Sergeyevich Kalinnikov (1870 - 1927), "Ходит Спесь надуваючись" [ chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Dmitry Vitalyevich Morozov (1882 - 1942), "Спесь" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Modest Petrovich Musorgsky (1839 - 1881), "Спесь", 1877, published 1882, lines 1-4,7-13 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Vasily Andreyevich Zolotaryov (1872 - 1964), "Спесь", op. 31 no. 7 [ mixed chorus a cappella ], Moscow, Leipzig: Jurgenson [sung text not yet checked]

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

• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Hans Schmidt) , "Der Dünkel"

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 13
Word count: 67