Songs

Otchalila lodka, 'The boat left'

by Sergei Prokofiev

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Text & Translation

Otchalila lodka, 'The boat left'
Russian source: Aleksei Nikolayevich Apukhtin

Otchalila lodka… Chut' brezzhil rassvet…
V ushakh razdavalsja poslednij privet,
Dyshal on nezhdannoju laskoj…
Svincovoje more shumelo krugom…
Vsjo `eto mne kazhetsja sladostnym snom,
Volshebnoj, nesbytochnoj skazkoj!

O net, to ne son byl! V dali goluboj
Dve belye chajki neslis' nad vodoj,
I serye tuchki leteli, --
I vsjo, chto skazat' ja ne mog, ne uspel,
Kipelo v dushe... i vostok chut' alel,
I volny shumeli, shumeli!

The boat left
English translation © Jennifer Gliere

The boat left… dawn had scarcely broken.
The words of farewell rang in my ears,
The breathed an unexpected greeting …
The leaden sea murmured all around …
It all seems to me a sweet bedtime story,
A magical, unimaginable fairy tale!

But no! It was no dream! In the distance
Two ivory seagulls skimmed over the water,
And the grey clouds flew by,
and all that I could not express, and failed to say
stirred in my soul, and the east glowed faintly red,
And the East murmured!

Reprinted with permission from the LiederNet Archive

Otchalila lodka, 'The boat left'
Russian source: Aleksei Nikolayevich Apukhtin

The boat left
English source: Jennifer Gliere

Otchalila lodka… Chut' brezzhil rassvet…
The boat left… dawn had scarcely broken.
V ushakh razdavalsja poslednij privet,
The words of farewell rang in my ears,
Dyshal on nezhdannoju laskoj…
The breathed an unexpected greeting …
Svincovoje more shumelo krugom…
The leaden sea murmured all around …
Vsjo `eto mne kazhetsja sladostnym snom,
It all seems to me a sweet bedtime story,
Volshebnoj, nesbytochnoj skazkoj!
A magical, unimaginable fairy tale!

O net, to ne son byl! V dali goluboj
Dve belye chajki neslis' nad vodoj,
I serye tuchki leteli, --
I vsjo, chto skazat' ja ne mog, ne uspel,
Kipelo v dushe... i vostok chut' alel,
I volny shumeli, shumeli!

Composer

Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Soviet composer, pianist and conductor. As the creator of acknowledged masterpieces across numerous musical genres, he is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century.

Poet

Aleksei Nikolayevich Apukhtin

Aleksey Nikolayevich Apukhtin was a Russian poet, writer and critic.  

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