Text & Translation
Kak mne bol'no
Russian source:
Glafira Adol'fovna Galina
Kak svezha i dushista vesna!
Net! ne v silakh ja serdca ubit'
V `etu noch' golubuju bez sna.
Khot'-by starost' prishla poskorej,
Khot'-by inej v kudrjakh zablestel,
Chto-b ne pel dlja menja solovej,
Chtoby les dlja menja ne shumel,
Chtoby pesn' ne rvalas' iz dushi
Skvoz' sireni v shirokuju dal',
Chtoby ne bylo v `etoj tishi
Mne chego to muchitel'no zhal'!
Sorrow in springtime
English translation ©
Philip Ross Bullock
How fresh and fragrant the spring!
No! I cannot stifle my heart
On this pale blue, sleepless night.
If only old age would come more quickly,
If only the hoarfrost would gild my locks,
Would that the nightingale no longer sang for me,
Would that the forest no longer murmured for me.
Let not the song burst from my soul,
Through the lilacs to the distant horizon,
If only I did not feel such unbearable sorrow
In this silence!
Kak mne bol'no
Russian source:
Glafira Adol'fovna Galina
Sorrow in springtime
English source:
Philip Ross Bullock
Kak mne bol'no, kak khochetsja zhit'...
How painful this is, yet how I yearn to live…
Kak svezha i dushista vesna!
How fresh and fragrant the spring!
Net! ne v silakh ja serdca ubit'
No! I cannot stifle my heart
V `etu noch' golubuju bez sna.
On this pale blue, sleepless night.
Khot'-by starost' prishla poskorej,
If only old age would come more quickly,
Khot'-by inej v kudrjakh zablestel,
If only the hoarfrost would gild my locks,
Chto-b ne pel dlja menja solovej,
Would that the nightingale no longer sang for me,
Chtoby les dlja menja ne shumel,
Would that the forest no longer murmured for me.
Chtoby pesn' ne rvalas' iz dushi
Let not the song burst from my soul,
Skvoz' sireni v shirokuju dal',
Through the lilacs to the distant horizon,
Chtoby ne bylo v `etoj tishi
If only I did not feel such unbearable sorrow
Mne chego to muchitel'no zhal'!
In this silence!
Composer
Sergei Rachmaninov
Sergei Rachmaninov was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor of the late Romantic period.
