The Pied Piper | I play a reed-pipe

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by Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov (1873 - 1924)

Translation © by Sergey Rybin

Крысолов

Language: Russian (Русский)

Our translations: ENG FRE

Я на дудочке играю,
Тра-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля,
И на дудочке играю,
Чьи-то души веселя.

Я иду вдоль тихой речки,
Тра-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля,
Дремлют тихия овечки,
Кротко зыблются поля.

Спите, овцы и барашки,
Тра-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля,
За лугами красной кашки
стройно встали тополя.

Малый домик там таится,
Тра-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля,
Милой девушке приснится,
Что ей душу отдал я.

И на нежный зов свирели,
Тра-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля,
Выйдет словно к светлой цели,
через сад, через поля.

И в лесу под дубом тёмным,
Тра-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля,
Будет ждать в бреду истомном,
В час, когда уснёт земля.

Встречу гостью дорогую,
Тра-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля,
Вплоть до утра зацелую,
Сердце лаской утоля.

И, сменившись с ней колечком,
Тра-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля,
Отпущу её к овечкам,
В сад, где стройны тополя.

Тра-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля-ля!

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Note on Transliterations

Text Authorship:

by Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov (1873 - 1924), "Крысолов", first published 1904 [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 Sergei Vasil'yevich Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943), "Крысолов", op. 38 (Шесть романсов = Shest' romansov (Six songs)) no. 4 (1916) [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Sergey Rybin) , "The Pied Piper", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Le joueur de flûte", copyright © 2021, (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: 33
Word count: 108

The Pied Piper

Language: English after the Russian (Русский)

I play a reed-pipe, 
tra-la-la-la-la-la-la, 
I play a reed-pipe, 
cheering up someone's soul.

I walk along a quiet river, 
tra-la-la-la-la-la-la, 
Timid sheep are asleep, 
the fields are gently rocking.

Sleep, sheep and lambs, 
tra-la-la-la-la-la-la, 
Beyond the fields of red clover 
stand slender poplars.

A little house is hidden there,  
tra-la-la-la-la-la-la, 
A pretty maiden will have a dream, 
That I gave her my soul. 

And to the tender call of the reed-pipe, 
tra-la-la-la-la-la-la, 
She will come, as if towards a bright dream, 
Through the garden, through the fields.

And in the forest under the dark oak, 
tra-la-la-la-la-la-la, 
She will wait in a languorous fever
At the hour when the earth falls asleep.

I will greet the dear guest, 
tra-la-la-la-la-la-la, 
And will kiss her away till dawn, 
Satisfying my heart with tenderness.

And, after we've exchanged rings, 
tra-la-la-la-la-la-la, 
I'll put her out with the sheep, 
Into the garden, where slender poplars stand! 

Tra-la-la-la-la-la-la!

Note: The old tale of the Pied Piper of Hameln ("Der Rattenfänger von Hameln") has been retold in many versions including one by the Brothers Grimm and by Goethe, whose version adds that the Piper sometimes collected girls as well. This idea is expanded upon by Bryusov.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Russian (Русский) to English copyright © 2011 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 Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov (1873 - 1924), "Крысолов", first published 1904
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2011-12-02
Line count: 33
Word count: 151