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То было раннею весной, трава едва всходила, ручьи текли, не парил зной, и зелень рощ сквозила; Труба пастушья поутру ещё не пела звонко, и в завитках ещё в бору, был папоротник тонкий; То было раннею весной, в тени берёз то было, когда с улыбкой предо мной ты очи опустила... То на любовь мою в ответ ты опустила вежды! О жизнь! о, лес! о, солнца свет! О, юность! о, надежды! И плакал я перед тобой, на лик твой глядя милый; то было раннею весной, в тени берёз то было! То было в утро наших лет! О, счастье! о слёзы! о, лес! о, жизнь! о, солнца свет! О, свежий дух берёзы!
N. Rimsky-Korsakov sets stanzas 1, 3-6
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Note on TransliterationsText Authorship:
- by Aleksei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Count (1817 - 1875), no title, first published 1871 [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 Vladimir Fyodorovich Kazimir , "То было раннею весной" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Aleksandr Borisovich Matyukhin (b. 1947), "То было раннею весной" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Nikolay Sergeyevich Potolovsky (1878 - 1927), "То было раннею весной" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rigelman , "То было раннею весной" [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 - 1908), "То было раннею весной", op. 43 no. 4 (1897), stanzas 1,3-6 [ voice and piano ], from Весной (Vesnoj), no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Aleksandr Nikolayevich Shefer (1866 - 1914), "То было раннею весной" [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893), "То было раннею весной", op. 38 (Шесть романсов = Shest' romansov (Six romances)) no. 2, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Sergey Vladimirovich Yuferov (1865 - 1927), "То было раннею весною" [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , no title ; composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
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- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Ottokar Nováček.
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Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Jacob Wilde) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "C'était au début du printemps", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 24
Word count: 109
It was in early spring the grass was barely coming up, streams were flowing, it was not yet steaming hot, I peeped through the green trees; Shepherds’ morning pipes weren't sounding loudly yet, and still curled up in the forest was a delicate fern; It was in early spring, in the shade of the birches it was, when smiling before me you lowered your eyes... It was due to my love, that in turn you lowered your eyelids! O life! O forest! O sunlight! O youth! O hope! And I wept in front of you, looking into your sweet face; it was early spring, in the shade of the birches, it was! It was in the morning of our lives! O happiness! O tears! O forest! O life! O sunlight! O fresh scent of the birch!
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Text Authorship:
- Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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 Aleksei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Count (1817 - 1875), no title, first published 1871
This text was added to the website: 2016-10-23
Line count: 24
Word count: 136