Songs

Mně zdálo se

by Bedřich Smetana From Večerní písně (Evening Songs) (1879) JB 1:116

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Text & Translation

Mně zdálo se

Mně zdálo se: "bol sestár' už
a bude s ním už amen,
a slzí těch už vyteklo,
že vysch' už jejich pramen."

Tu sem si zpomněl na Tebe,
a duše má se chvěla,
a cosi v ní se ozvalo,
jakby Tě ztratit měla.

A oči se mi zalily,
radosť se v pláč mi mění,
a já poznávám s bolestí,
že slzám konce není.

It seemed to me
English translation © Joe Kearney

It seemed to me: “he had grown old,
And soon he would pass away,
And their tears had already run out,
Their source had already run dry.”

And here I remembered You,
And my soul trembled,
And something within it spoke up,
As if it were to lose You.

And my eyes welled up,
My joy changes into sorrow,
And it pains me to recognise,
That there is no end to the tears.

Second year undergraduate (Spanish and Czech), St Peter’s College, University of Oxford

Mně zdálo se

It seemed to me
English source: Joe Kearney

Mně zdálo se: "bol sestár' už
It seemed to me: “he had grown old,
a bude s ním už amen,
And soon he would pass away,
a slzí těch už vyteklo,
And their tears had already run out,
že vysch' už jejich pramen."
Their source had already run dry.”

Tu sem si zpomněl na Tebe,
And here I remembered You,
a duše má se chvěla,
And my soul trembled,
a cosi v ní se ozvalo,
And something within it spoke up,
jakby Tě ztratit měla.
As if it were to lose You.

A oči se mi zalily,
And my eyes welled up,
radosť se v pláč mi mění,
My joy changes into sorrow,
a já poznávám s bolestí,
And it pains me to recognise,
že slzám konce není.
That there is no end to the tears.

Composer

Bedřich Smetana

Bedřich Smetana 2 March 1824 – 12 May 1884) was a Czech composer, regarded by many in his homeland as the father of Czech music.

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