Songs

I bol'no, i sladko,
It’s so painful, it’s so sweet,
Kogda, pri nachale ljubvi,
When you first fall in love –
To serdce zab'jotsja ukradkoj,
Secretly, your heart begins to pound,
To v zhilah techet lihoradka,
Then your veins pulse with fever,
To zhar zapylaet v krovi...
And your blood runs hot…
I bol'no, i sladko!..
It’s so painful, it’s so sweet!...

Prob'jot chas svidan'ja, —
The moment of the meeting is at hand –
Potupja predatel'nyj vzor,
Lowering your telltale gaze,
V volnen'i, v tomlen'i neznan'ja,
Excited and anxious with uncertainty,
Boish'sja, zhelaesh' priznan'ja,
You’re afraid, you long for confession,
Nachnjosh' i prervjosh' razgovor...
You begin to speak and then break it off again…
I v muku svidan'e!..
The torment of meeting!...

Ne vymolvish' slova...
You can barely utter a word…
Nemeesh'... robeesh'... drozhish'...
You’re struck dumb… you’re shy… you tremble…
Dusha, proklinaja okovy,
Your soul, cursing its shackles,
Vsja v rechi izlit'sja b gotova...
Is ready to pour itself out in speech…
Net sily, net slova,
No strength, not a word,
I tol'ko gljadish' i molchish'!
You just stand there, staring in silence!

I sladko, i bol'no...
It’s so painful, it’s so sweet!...
I trepet bezumnyj zatih;
The mad trepidation has passed;
I serdcu legko i razdol'no...
And the heart feels light and easy…
Slova polilis' by tak vol'no,
Words could flow so freely now,
No slushat' uzh nekomu ih,—
But there is no one to hear them –
I sladko, i bol'no!...
It’s so painful, it’s so sweet!...