Text & Translation
Angel i demon, 'Angel and Demon'
(1841)
Russian source:
Apollon Nikolayevich Maykov
Dva dukha moshchnye: odin -
`Edemskoj dveri vlastelin
I vechnyj strazh jejo ot veka;
Drugoj -- vo vsem velich'i zla,
Vladyka sumrachnogo mira:
Nad ognennoj jego porfiroj
Gorjat dva ognennykh kryla.
No torzhestvo komu zh ustupit
V pyli rozhdennyj chelovek?
Venec li vechnykh pal'm on kupit
Il' chashu vremennuju neg?
Gospoden' angel tikh i jasen:
Jego zhivit smiren'ja luch;
No gordyj demon tak prekrasen,
Tak luchezaren i moguch!
Two powerful spirits argue
(2019)
English translation ©
Philip Ross Bullock
O’er the fate of man:
One watches over Eden’s door,
Eternal guardian across the ages;
The other – the lord of the underworld
In all its evil grandeur:
Two fiery wings burn
Above its fiery porphyry robes.
To which of these will man, born in dust,
Grant ascendancy?
Will he purchase the crown of eternal palms,
Or the fleeting cup of sensuous pleasure?
Quiet and limpid is the Angel of the Lord,
Burning with the light of humility;
But the proud demon is so beautiful,
So radiant and powerful!
Angel i demon, 'Angel and Demon'
(1841)
Russian source:
Apollon Nikolayevich Maykov
Two powerful spirits argue (2019)
English source:
Philip Ross Bullock
Pod"emljut spor za cheloveka
Two powerful spirits argue
Dva dukha moshchnye: odin -
O’er the fate of man:
`Edemskoj dveri vlastelin
One watches over Eden’s door,
I vechnyj strazh jejo ot veka;
Eternal guardian across the ages;
Drugoj -- vo vsem velich'i zla,
The other – the lord of the underworld
Vladyka sumrachnogo mira:
In all its evil grandeur:
Nad ognennoj jego porfiroj
Two fiery wings burn
Gorjat dva ognennykh kryla.
Above its fiery porphyry robes.
No torzhestvo komu zh ustupit
To which of these will man, born in dust,
V pyli rozhdennyj chelovek?
Grant ascendancy?
Venec li vechnykh pal'm on kupit
Will he purchase the crown of eternal palms,
Il' chashu vremennuju neg?
Or the fleeting cup of sensuous pleasure?
Gospoden' angel tikh i jasen:
Quiet and limpid is the Angel of the Lord,
Jego zhivit smiren'ja luch;
Burning with the light of humility;
No gordyj demon tak prekrasen,
But the proud demon is so beautiful,
Tak luchezaren i moguch!
So radiant and powerful!
Composer
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, best know for his orchestral compositions and his symphonic suite Scheherazade. He believed in developing a nationalistic style of classical music, and was influenced by Russian folk song…
