by Mikhail Yur'yevich Lermontov (1814 - 1841)
Translation Singable translation by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892)
Кинжал
Language: Russian (Русский)
Люблю тебя, булатный мой кинжал, Товарищ светлый и холодный. Задумчивый грузин на месть тебя ковал, На грозный бой точил черкес свободный. [Лилейная]1 рука тебя мне поднесла В знак памяти в минуту расставанья, И в первый раз не кровь вдоль по тебе текла, Но светлая слеза, жемчужина страданья. И чёрные глаза, остановясь на мне, Исполнены таиственной печали, Как сталь твоя при трепетном огне, То вдруг тускнели, то сверкали. Ты дан мне в спутники, любви залог немой, И страннику в тебе пример не бесполезный, Да, я не изменюсь и буду тверд душой, Как ты, как ты, мой друг железный!
View original text (without footnotes)
1 Cui: "Lilejcaja"
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
1 Cui: "Lilejcaja"
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Note on TransliterationsText Authorship:
- by Mikhail Yur'yevich Lermontov (1814 - 1841), "Кинжал", written 1838 [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 César Antonovich Cui (1835 - 1918), "Кинжал", op. 49 (Семь романсов = Sem' romansov (Seven romances)) no. 7 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Karl Yulyevich Davidov (1838 - 1889), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Grigory (German) Semyonovich Gamburg (1900 - 1967), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Yuly Antonovich Kapri (1831 - 1918), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Boris Sergeyevich Maizel' (b. 1907), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by A. Maklakov , "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sergey Vladimirovich Protopopov (1883 - 1954), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (1829 - 1894), "Кинжал", op. 36 (Zwölf Lieder aus dem Russischem von F. Bodenstedt) no. 5 (1849-51) [ voice and piano ], Wien, Spina, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Dmitry Fyodorovich Tarkhov (1890 - 1966), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anatoly Georgievich Umantsev (b. 1940), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sergey Nikiforovich Vasilenko (1872 - 1956), "Кинжал" [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892) , "Der Dolch", appears in Russische Dichter, first published 1866 ; composed by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Martha Gilbert Dickinson Bianchi) , "The dagger", appears in Russian Lyrics, first published 1916
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 98
Der Dolch
Language: German (Deutsch) after the Russian (Русский)
Ich lieb es, deinen kalten Glanz zu sehn, Mein Dolch, mein Kampfgenoß, mein treuer Diener! Zum wilden Kampfe schliff dich der Tschetschen, Dich schmiedete zur Rache der Grusiner! Es schenkte eine Lilienhand dich mir, Als mich ihr Arm zum Letztenmal umschlossen, Und - statt des Bluts - zum Erstenmal auf dir Um mich geweinte Thränenperlen flössen. Ihr schwarzes Auge in der Schmerzensflut Bald trüb sich schloß, bald blendend funkelte: Gleichwie dein Eisen bei des Feuers Glut Bald Blitze warf, bald sich verdunkelte. Zum Pfande treuer Liebe weihte mir Ihr Auge dich, das thränenfeucht verklärte: Drum liebend ewig treu sein will ich ihr, Ja, fest wie du, mein eiserner Gefährte!
Text Authorship:
- Singable translation by Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt (1819 - 1892), "Der Dolch", appears in Russische Dichter, first published 1866 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Russian (Русский) by Mikhail Yur'yevich Lermontov (1814 - 1841), "Кинжал", written 1838
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 Grigoryevich Rubinstein (1829 - 1894), "Der Dolch", op. 36 (Zwölf Lieder aus dem Russischem von F. Bodenstedt) no. 5 (1849-51) [ voice and piano ], Wien, Spina, also set in Russian (Русский) [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Harry Joelson
This text was added to the website: 2011-06-25
Line count: 16
Word count: 107