by Marina Ivanovna Tsvetaeva (1892 - 1941)

Net, bil baraban pered smutny'm polkom
Language: Russian (Русский) 
Our translations:  ENG ENG FRE
Net, bil baraban pered smutny'm polkom,
Kogda my' vozhdya xoronili:
To zuby' czaryovy' nad myortvy'm pevczom
Pochyotnuyu drob` vy'vodili.

Takoj uzh pochyot, chto blizhajshim druz`yam —
Net mesta. V izglav`i, v iznozh`i,
I sprava, i sleva — ruchishhi po shvam —
Zhandarmskie grudi i rozhi.

Ne divo li — i na tishajshem iz lozh
Preby't` podnadzorny'm mal`chishkoj?
Na chto-to, na chto-to, na chto-to poxozh
Pochyot sej, pochyotno — da slishkom!

Glyadi, mol, strana, kak, molve vopreki,
Monarx o poe`te pechyotsya!
Pochyotno — pochyotno — pochyotno — arxi-
pochyotno, — pochyotno — do chyortu!

Kogo zh e`to tak — tochno vory' vora
Pristrelennogo — vy'nosili?
Izmennika? Net. S proxodnogo dvora —
Umnejshego muzha Rossii.

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Text Authorship:

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

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

  • ENG English (Dann Mitton) , "No, there was a drumbeat", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English (Sergey Rybin) , "No, the drum was drumming", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Non, le tambour bat devant les troupes inquiètes", copyright © 2008, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: John Versmoren

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 113