Text & Translation
Ikalos li tebe, Natsha ('Did you hiccup, Natasha')
Russian source:
Pyotr Andreyevich Vyazemsky
Kogda shampanskoje ja pil
Razlichnykh vkusov, svojstv i vidov,
Razluchnykh vozrastov i sil
Kogda v voronezhskikh podvalakh
Ja zhadno pominal tebja,
Ljubja Natashu, po`etessu
Da i shampanskoje ljubja
Zdes' b'jot kastal'skij kljuch,
Pitaja nebasnoslovnoju strujoj;
Po`ezija zdes' veshch' ruchnaja;
Pjat' frankov daj i pej, i poj
Did you hiccup, Natasha
English translation ©
Philip Ross Bullock
As I was drinking champagne,
Champagne of various tastes and traits and types,
Of various vintages and strengths?
When in the cellars of Voronezh
I thought about you so fervently,
In love with you, Natasha, my poetess,
And in love with champagne too?
Here flows a Castalian spring,
But not one that inspires like that fabled stream;
Here poetry is craft, not art;
If you pay five francs, you can drink and sing!
Ikalos li tebe, Natsha ('Did you hiccup, Natasha')
Russian source:
Pyotr Andreyevich Vyazemsky
Did you hiccup, Natasha
English source:
Philip Ross Bullock
Ikalos' li tebe, Natasha,
Was that you hiccupping, Natasha,
Kogda shampanskoje ja pil
As I was drinking champagne,
Razlichnykh vkusov, svojstv i vidov,
Champagne of various tastes and traits and types,
Razluchnykh vozrastov i sil
Of various vintages and strengths?
Kogda v voronezhskikh podvalakh
When in the cellars of Voronezh
Ja zhadno pominal tebja,
I thought about you so fervently,
Ljubja Natashu, po`etessu
In love with you, Natasha, my poetess,
Da i shampanskoje ljubja
And in love with champagne too?
Zdes' b'jot kastal'skij kljuch,
Here flows a Castalian spring,
Pitaja nebasnoslovnoju strujoj;
But not one that inspires like that fabled stream;
Po`ezija zdes' veshch' ruchnaja;
Here poetry is craft, not art;
Pjat' frankov daj i pej, i poj
If you pay five francs, you can drink and sing!
Composer
Sergei Rachmaninov
Sergei Rachmaninov was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor of the late Romantic period.
