Sred' šumnogo bala, slučajno,
V trevoge mirskoj suety,
Tebja ja uvidel, no tajna
Tvoi pokryvala čerty.

Liš' oči pečal'no gljadeli,
A golos tak divno zvučal,
Kak zvon otdalënnoj svireli,
Kak morja [igrajuščij]1 val.

Mne stan tvoj ponravilsja tonkij
I ves' tvoj zadumčivyj vid,
A smech tvoj, i grustnyj, i zvonkij,
S tech por v moëm serdce zvučit.

V časy odinokie noči
Ljublju ja, ustalyj, prileč';
JA vižu pečal'nye oči,
JA slyšu veseluju reč',

I grustno ja, grustno tak zasypaju,
I v grëzach nevedomych splju...
Ljublju li tebja, ja ne znaju,
No kažetsja mne, čto ljublju!

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¹ Tchaikovsky: "бушующий" ("bushujushchij")

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Text Authorship:

• by Aleksei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Count (1817 - 1875), no title, first published 1851 [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 Aleksandra Dormidontovna Kochetova (1833 - 1902), "Средь шумного бала, случайно" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Grigory Andreyevich Lishin (1854 - 1888), "Средь шумного бала" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Aleksandr Nikolayevich Shefer (1866 - 1914), "Средь шумного бала" [sung text not yet checked]
• by A. D. Sheremetev (1859 - 1931), "Средь шумного бала" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Boris Sergeyevich Sheremetyev (1822 - 1906), "Средь шумного бала" [sung text not yet checked]
• by Anton Yulyevich Simon (1850 - 1916), "Средь шумного бала", op. 43 (Десять романсов) no. 8, published 1891 [ voice and piano ], Moscow: P. Jurgenson [sung text not yet checked]
• by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893), "Средь шумного бала", op. 38 (Шесть романсов = Shest' romansov (Six romances)) no. 3 (1878) [ voice and piano ], also set in German (Deutsch), also set in French (Français) [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

• Also set in French (Français), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , "Pendant une fête brillante" ; composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
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• Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Hermann Wolff (1845 - 1902) , "Im wogenden Tanze" ; composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• DUT Dutch (Nederlands) (Sonja Van Lier) , "Temidden van het bal", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Laura Prichard) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• ENG English (Jacob Wilde) , "Amid the din of the ball", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• GER German (Deutsch) [singable] (Bruno Tutenberg) , "Inmitten des Balles"

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 95