Songs
4. Solovey i roza 'The nightingale and the rose'
by Benjamin Britten From Ekho poeta, 'The poet's echo' (1965) Op. 76
Text & Translation
4. Solovey i roza 'The nightingale and the rose'
Russian source:
Alexander Pushkin
Poyot, poyot dan rozoyu vostochnïy solovey.
No roza milaya ne chuvstvuyet, ne vnemlet, roza milaya.
I pod vlyublyonnïy gimn kolebletsya i dremlet, roza milaya.
Ne tak li tï poyosh´ dlya khladnoy krasotï?
Opomnish´ o poet, k chemu stremnish´sya tï?
Ona ne slushayet, ne chuvstvayet poeta;
Glyadish´ ona tsvetet; vzïvayesh´ net otveta.
The nightingale and the rose
English translation ©
Philip Ross Bullock
Above the rose an Eastern nightingale begins to sing.
But the lovely rose hears nothing, pays no heed,
And to this amorous hymn, she sways in slumber deep.
Is that not how you too address beauty’s frostiness?
Recall thyself, o poet, to what dost thou aspire?
Beauty listens not, does not hear the poet;
Just look and she will blossom, but beg her – and no answer comes.
4. Solovey i roza 'The nightingale and the rose'
Russian source:
Alexander Pushkin
The nightingale and the rose
English source:
Philip Ross Bullock
V besmolvii sadov, vesnoy, vo mgle nochey,
In silent gardens, in the darkness of the night in spring,
Poyot, poyot dan rozoyu vostochnïy solovey.
Above the rose an Eastern nightingale begins to sing.
No roza milaya ne chuvstvuyet, ne vnemlet, roza milaya.
But the lovely rose hears nothing, pays no heed,
I pod vlyublyonnïy gimn kolebletsya i dremlet, roza milaya.
And to this amorous hymn, she sways in slumber deep.
Ne tak li tï poyosh´ dlya khladnoy krasotï?
Opomnish´ o poet, k chemu stremnish´sya tï?
Ona ne slushayet, ne chuvstvayet poeta;
Glyadish´ ona tsvetet; vzïvayesh´ net otveta.
Composer
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British classical music, with a range of works including opera, other vocal music,…
Poet
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (6 June 1799 – 10 February 1837) was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era who is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. Pushkin was born…