Text & Translation
Na smert' chizhika
Russian source:
Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky
Prirody miloje tvoren'e,
Iz mirnoj oblosti zemnoj
On uletel, kak snoviden'e.
On dlja ljubvi na svete zhil,
On nezhnoj pesenkoj privetnoj,
Za lasku nezhnuju platil,
I podletal k ruke privetnoj.
No v svete strashno i ljubit':
Jemu byl dan druzhok krylatyj;
Chtob milogo ne perezhit',
On v grobe skrylsja ot utraty.
On the death of a linnet
English translation ©
Philip Ross Bullock
Dear creature of nature,
Who from earth’s peaceful realm
Has flown away, like a passing dream.
In this world he lived for live,
With a tender little song of greeting
He would return my tender care
And fly into my open hand.
But the world can be harsh on those who love:
A little wingèd friend was belonged to him,
But rather than outlive his beloved,
He took to his grave to bury his loss.
Na smert' chizhika
Russian source:
Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky
On the death of a linnet
English source:
Philip Ross Bullock
V sem grobe vernyj chizhik moj!
In this coffin lies my faithful linnet!
Prirody miloje tvoren'e,
Dear creature of nature,
Iz mirnoj oblosti zemnoj
Who from earth’s peaceful realm
On uletel, kak snoviden'e.
Has flown away, like a passing dream.
On dlja ljubvi na svete zhil,
In this world he lived for live,
On nezhnoj pesenkoj privetnoj,
With a tender little song of greeting
Za lasku nezhnuju platil,
He would return my tender care
I podletal k ruke privetnoj.
And fly into my open hand.
No v svete strashno i ljubit':
But the world can be harsh on those who love:
Jemu byl dan druzhok krylatyj;
A little wingèd friend was belonged to him,
Chtob milogo ne perezhit',
But rather than outlive his beloved,
On v grobe skrylsja ot utraty.
He took to his grave to bury his loss.
Composer
Sergei Rachmaninov
Sergei Rachmaninov was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor of the late Romantic period.
Poet
Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky
Vasily Zhukovsky was the foremost Russian poet of the 1810s and a leading figure in Russian literature in the first half of the 19th century. He held a high position at the Romanov court as tutor to the Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna and later…