Happiness | Light and shadows mingled together whimsically

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by Tat'yana Lvovna Shchepkina-Kupernik (1874 - 1952)

Translation © by Sergey Rybin

Счастье

Language: Russian (Русский)

Our translations: ENG

Причудливо смешались свет и тени,
Вдали аллея солнцем залита.
Ищу я счастья в лепестках сирени,
Привычною мечтою занята.

Узором странным теневые пятна
Меняются на золотом песке...
Вся белоснежна, дивно ароматна,
Сирень дрожит в пылающей руке.

А счастья нет, шепчу я безнадежно,
Ужель найти его не суждено?
И вдруг сирень отброшена небрежно.
Шаги... ты здесь... о, счастье! Вот оно!

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Text Authorship:

by Tat'yana Lvovna Shchepkina-Kupernik (1874 - 1952) [author's text not yet checked 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 Anton Stepanovich Arensky (1861 - 1906), "Счастье", op. 70 no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Vladimir Evgenevich Byutsov (1887 - 1959), "Счастье", op. 1 (12 романсов) no. 4, published 1906 [ voice and piano ], Moscow: P. Jurgenson [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 58

Happiness

Language: English after the Russian (Русский)

Light and shadows mingled together whimsically,
In the distance, the alley is flooded with sunlight.
I search for "happiness" in the lilac’s petals,
Preoccupied by my usual dream.

In a strange pattern, shadowy spots
Flicker upon the golden sand...
Completely snow-white, wonderfully fragrant,
The lilac trembles in a burning hand.

— But "happiness" does not exist! — I whisper hopelessly:
Is it really impossible to find it?
And suddenly... the lilac is thrown aside carelessly:
I hear steps — you are here... Oh happiness! Here it is.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2026 by Sergey Rybin, (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 Tat'yana Lvovna Shchepkina-Kupernik (1874 - 1952)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-03-16
Line count: 12
Word count: 87