Ali mat' menja rozhala
Na gore bol'shoje?
Ali ved'ma zachurala 
Mne gnezdo rodnoje?

Naproljot i dni i nochi 
Plachu, kak rebjonok;
Svaty prijdut -- net mne mochi
Vystojat' smotrjonok.

Okh, ujekhal da i sginul 
Milyj za druzhinoj;
Ne sberjog - odnu pokinul
Pannochku s kruchinoj.

U podruzhjok v cerkvi jasno
Svechka dorogajet;
U menja odnoj, neschastnoj,
Srazu pogasajet.

V pole osen'; list valitsja;
Pes nash zemlju rojet,
Sych na kryshu k nam saditsja:
Chtozh ty - skoro? - vojet.
Skoro ja s toboju, znachit,
Svizhusja, moj milyj!

Ali mat' menja rozhala
Na gore bol'shoje?
Ali ved'ma zachurala 
Mne gnezdo rodnoje?

Note: the original Polish text is often misattributed to Mickiewicz, according to R. D. Sylvester, Tchaikovsky's Complete Songs. A Companion with Texts and Translations (2002), p. 90.

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Text Authorship:

• by Lev Aleksandrovich Mey (1822 - 1862) [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Based on:

• a text in Polish (Polski) by Teofil Lenartowicz (1822 - 1893), "Tęsknota"
  • Go to the text page.

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

• by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893), "Али мать меня рожала", op. 27 (Шесть романсов и песни = Shest' romansov i pesni (Six romances and songs)) no. 5 (1875) [sung text checked 1 time]

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

• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Ma mère m'a-t-elle mise au monde", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2003-11-03
Line count: 26
Word count: 96