Songs

Sleza drozhit ('A tear trembles')

by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

If you would like to use our texts and translations, please click here for more information.

Text & Translation

Sleza drozhit ('A tear trembles')
Russian source: Leo Tolstoy

Sleza drozhit v tvoyom revnivom vzore …
O, ne grusti, ty vsyo mne doroga!
No ya lyubit mogu lish na prostore,
Moyu lyubov, shirokuyu, kak more,
Vmestit ne mogut, net!
Vmestit ne mogut zhizni berega.

O, ne grusti, moy drug, zemnoe minet gore,
Pozhdi eshchyo, nevolya nedolga.
V odnu lyubov my vse solyomsa vskore,
V odnu lyubov, shirokuyu, kak more,
Chto ne vmestyat, net!
Chto ne vmestyat zemnye berega.

A tear trembles
English translation © Philip Ross Bullock

A tear trembles in your jealous gaze…
Oh, don’t be sad, you’re still dear to me!
But I can love only in boundless freedom,
And my love, as wide as the ocean,
Cannot, no cannot be contained
By life’s shores!

Oh, don’t be sad, my friend, earthly grief will pass,
Wait a while, our captivity is but brief.
Soon we shall all merge into a single love,
Into a single love, as wide as the ocean,
That earthy shores cannot,
Non cannot contain!

Sleza drozhit ('A tear trembles')
Russian source: Leo Tolstoy

A tear trembles
English source: Philip Ross Bullock

Sleza drozhit v tvoyom revnivom vzore …
A tear trembles in your jealous gaze…
O, ne grusti, ty vsyo mne doroga!
Oh, don’t be sad, you’re still dear to me!
No ya lyubit mogu lish na prostore,
But I can love only in boundless freedom,
Moyu lyubov, shirokuyu, kak more,
And my love, as wide as the ocean,
Vmestit ne mogut, net!
Cannot, no cannot be contained
Vmestit ne mogut zhizni berega.
By life’s shores!

O, ne grusti, moy drug, zemnoe minet gore,
Oh, don’t be sad, my friend, earthly grief will pass,
Pozhdi eshchyo, nevolya nedolga.
Wait a while, our captivity is but brief.
V odnu lyubov my vse solyomsa vskore,
Soon we shall all merge into a single love,
V odnu lyubov, shirokuyu, kak more,
Into a single love, as wide as the ocean,
Chto ne vmestyat, net!
That earthy shores cannot,
Chto ne vmestyat zemnye berega.
Non cannot contain!

Composer

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. His works are still among the most popular music in the classical repetoire, and he is widely acknowledged as the first Russian composer to make a lasting international…

Poet

Leo Tolstoy

Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (9 September 1828 – 20 November 1910), usually referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. He received multiple nominations for Nobel Prize in…

Help us with a Donation

Enjoying our texts and translations? Help us continue to offer this service to all.

Make a Donation

Select Tickets