Songs

To bylo ranneju vesnoj,
It was in the early spring,
trava edva vschodila,
The grass had barely begun to grow,
ruč'i tekli, ne paril znoj,
The streams were flowing, the air was mild,
i zelen' rošč skvozila;
And the groves were flecked with green.

Truba pastuš'ja poutru
The shepherd’s horn
eščë ne pela zvonko,
Did not yet ring out in the morning,
i v zavitkach eščë v boru,
And in the pinewood, the slender fern
byl paporotnik tonkij;
Was yet to unfurl itself fully;

To bylo ranneju vesnoj,
It was in the early spring,
v teni berëz to bylo,
It was in the shade of birch trees,
kogda s ulybkoj predo mnoj
When standing before me, smiling,
ty oči opustila...
You lowered your eyes…

To na ljubov' moju v otvet
It was in answer to my love
ty opustila veždy!
That you cast down your gaze –
O žizn'! o, les! o, solnca svet!
Oh life! Oh woods! Oh sunlight!
O, junost'! o, nadeždy!
Oh youth! Oh hopes!

I plakal ja pered toboj,
And I shed tears before you,
na lik tvoj gljadja milyj;
Looking after your tender face –
to bylo ranneju vesnoj,
It was in the early spring,
v teni berëz to bylo!
It was in the shade of birch trees!

To bylo v utro našich let!
It was in the morning of our days!
O, sčast'e! o slëzy!
O happiness! O tears!
o, les! o, žizn'! o, solnca svet!
O woods! O life! O sunlight!
O, svežij duch berëzy!
O fresh scent of the birch tree