Songs

Poprygunya Strekoza
A flighty little dragonfly
Leto krasnoye propela;
Spent the lovely summer all in song;
Oglyanutsya ne uspela,
She never had a single moment
Kak zima katit v glaza.
To see that winter was rushing on.
Pomertvelo chisto pole;
Bare and barren lay the fields;
Net uzh dnei tekh svetlykh bole,
Long gone were those bright days
Kak pod kazhdym yei listkom
When under every single little leaf
Byl gotov i stol, i dom.
Food and shelter were to hand.
Vsyo proshlo: s zimoi kholodnoi
Now all had gone: the cold winter
Nuzhda, golod nastayot;
Brought need and hunger;
Strekoza uzh ne poyot:
Our dragonfly sings no more:
I komu zhe v um poidyot
In any case, who could ever dream
Na zheludok pet golodnyi!
Of singing on an empty stomach!
Zloi toskoi udruchena,
Cast down and filled with melancholy,
K Muravyu polzyot ona:
She crept up upon the Ant and said:
“Ne ostav menya, kum milyi!
“Don’t abandon me, oh friend so dear!
Dai ty mne sobrastya s siloi,
Let me gather my strength,
I do veshnikh tolko dnei
Feed me and keep me warm,
Prokormi i obogrei!” –
Just until spring comes again!” –
“Kumushka, mne stranno eto:
“My dearest friend, I find this very strange:
Da rabotala l ty v leto?” –
Did you not work at all last summer?” –
Govorit yei Muravei.
Asked the Ant of her.
“Do tovo l, golobchik, bylo?
“My dear, do you think I had time for that?
V myagkikh muravakh u nas
In the gentle grassy groves
Pesni, revnost vsyakii chas,
Every hour was spent in gleeful song,
Tak, shto golovu vskruchilo.” –
It made my head quite spin.” –
“A, tak ty…” – “Ya bez dushi
“So that’s what you did…” – “In ecstasy
Leto tseloye vsyo pela.” – I
I spent the whole summer in song.” –
“Ty vsyo pela? Eto delo:
“In song? That’s a fine thing and no mistake:
Tak podi zhe, poplyashi!”
Why don’t you go off and dance then?!”