Texts and Translations The texts and translations were

Texts and Translations The texts and translations were

Texts and Translations
The texts and translations were provided by the
artists and have not been edited by Vocal Arts DC.
Dichterliebe, Op. 48
(A Poet's Love)
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Poems by Heinrich Heine (1797-1856)
Im wunderschönen Monat Mai
Im wunderschönen Monat Mai,
Als alle Knospen sprangen,
Da ist in meinem Herzen
Die Liebe aufgegangen
Im wunderschönen Monat Mai,
Als alle Vögel sangen,
Da hab ich ihr gestanden
Mein Sehnen und Verlangen.
In the wonderous month of May
In the wondrous month of May,
When all buds were bursting into bloom,
Then it was that in my heart
love began to blossom.
In the Wonderous Month of May,
When all the birds were singing,
Then it was I confessed to her
My longing and desire.
Aus meinen Tränen spriessen
Aus meinen Tränen spriessen,
Viel blühende Blumen hervor,
Und meine Seufzer werden
Ein Nachtigallenchor.
Und wenn du mich lieb hast, Kindchen,
Schenk' ich dir die Blumen all',
Und vor deinem Fenster soll klingen
Das Lied der Nachtigall.
From my tears will spring
From my tears will spring,
Many blossoming flowers,
And my sighs will become
A choir of nightingales.
And if you love me, child,
I'll give you all the flowers,
And at your window shall sound
The nightingale's song.
Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube, die Sonne
Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube, die Sonne,
Die liebt' ich einst alle in Liebeswonne.
Ich lieb sie nicht mehr, ich liebe alleine
Die Kleine, die Feine, die Reine, die Eine;
Sie selber, aller Liebe Wonne,
Ist Rose und Lilie und Taube und Sonne.
Rose, Lily, Dove, Sun
Rose, Lily, Dove, Sun,
I loved them all once in the bliss of love.
I love them no more, I only love
She who is small, fine, pure, rare;
She, most blissful of all lovers,
Is rose and lily and dove and sun.
Wenn ich in deine Augen seh'
Wenn ich in deine Augen seh',
So schwindet all mein Leid und Weh;
Doch wenn ich küsse deinen Mund,
So werd ich ganz und gar gesund.
Wenn ich mich lehn' an deine Brust,
Kommt's über mich wie Himmelslust;
Doch wenn du sprichst: Ich liebe dich!
So muss ich weinen bitterlich.
When I look into your eyes
When I look into your eyes,
All my pain and sorrow vanish;
But when I kiss your lips,
Then I am wholly healed.
When I lay my head against your breast,
Heavenly bliss steals over me;
But when you say: I love you!
I must weep bitter tears.
Ich will meine Seele tauchen
Ich will meine Seele tauchen,
In den Kelch der Lilie hinein;
Die Lilie soll klingend hauchen
Ein Lied von der Liebsten mein.
Das Lied soll schauern und beben
Wie der Kuss von ihrem Mund,
Den sie mir einst
gegeben
In wunderbar süsser Stund'.
Let me bathe my soul
Let me bathe my soul,
In the lily's chalice;
The lily shall resound
With a song of my love.
That song shall tremble and quiver
Like the kiss her lips
Once gave me
In a sweet and wondrous hour.
Im Rhein, im heiligen Strome
Im Rhein, im heiligen Strome,
Da spiegelt sich in den Well'n
Mit seinem grossen Dom
Das grosse, heilige Köln.
Im Domm da steht ein Bildnis,
Auf goldenem Leder gemalt;
In meines Lebens
Wildnis
Hat's freundlich hineingestrahlt.
Es schweben Blumen und Englein
Um unsre liebe Frau;
Die Augen, die Lippen, die Wänglein,
Die gleichen der Liebsten genau.
In the Rhine, the Holy River
In the Rhine, the Holy River,
There is reflected in the waves,
With its great cathedral,
Great and holy Cologne.
In the cathedral hangs a picture,
Painted on gilded leather;
Into my life's wilderness
It has cast its friendly eyes.
Flowers and cherubs hover
Around our beloved Lady;
Her eyes, her lips, her cheeks
Are the image of my love's.
Ich grolle nicht
Ich grolle nicht, und wenn das Herz auch
bricht,
Ewig verlor'nes Lieb! ich grolle nicht.
Wie du auch strahlst in Diamantenpracht,
Es fällt kein Strahl in deines Herzens Nacht.
Dass weiss ich längst. Ich sah dich ja im
Traume,
Und sah die Nacht in deines Herzens
Raume,
Und sah die Schlang', Die dir am Herzen
frisst,
Ich sah, mein Lieb, wie sehr du elend bist.
I bear no grudge
I bear no grudge, though my heart is breaking,
O love forever lost! I bear no grudge.
However you gleam in diamond splendour,
No ray falls in the night of your heart.
I've known that long. For I saw you in my dreams,
And saw the night within your heart,
And saw the serpent gnawing your heart I saw, my love, how pitiful you are.
Und wüssten's die Blumen, die kleinen
Und wüssten's die Blumen, die kleinen
Wie tief verwundet mein Herz,
Sie würden mit mir weinen,
Zu heilen meinen Schmerz.
Und wüssten's die Nachtigallen,
Wie ich so traurig und krank,
Sie liessen frölich erschallen
Erquickenden Gesang.
Und wüssten sie mein Wehe,
die goldenen Sternelein,
sie kämen aus ihrer Höhe,
und sprächen Trost mir ein.
Die alle können's nicht wissen,
nur Eine kennt meinen Schmerz;
sie hat ja selbst zerrissen,
zerrissen mir das Herz.
If the little flowers knew
If the little flowers knew
How deeply my heart is hurt,
They would weep with me
To heal my pain.
If the nightingales knew
How sad I am and sick,
They would joyfully make the air resound
With refreshing song.
And if they knew my pain,
the golden little stars,
they would descend from their heights
and would comfort me.
All of them cannot know it,
only one knows my pain,
she herself has indeed torn,
torn up my heart.
Das ist ein Flöten und Geigen
Das ist ein Flöten und Geigen,
Trompeten schmettern darein;
Da tanzt wohl den
Hochzeitreigen
Die Herzallerliebste
mein.
Das ist ein Klingen und
Dröhnen,
Ein Pauken und ein Schalmei'n;
Dazwischen schluchzen und stöhnen
Die lieblichen Engelein.
What a fluting and fiddling
What a fluting and fiddling,
What a blaring of trumpets;
That must be my dearest love
Dancing at her wedding feast,
What a booming and ringing,
What a drumming and piping;
With lovely little angels
Sobbing and groaning between.
Hör' ich das Liedchen klingen
Hör' ich das Liedchen klingen,
Das einst die Liebste sang,
So will mir die Brust zerspringen
Von wildem Schmerzendrang.
Es treibt mich ein dunkles Sehnen
Hinauf zur Waldeshöh',
Dort löst sich auf in
Tränen
Mein übergrosses Weh.
When I hear the little song
When I hear the little song,
My beloved once sang,
My heart almost bursts
With the wild rush of pain.
A dark longing drives me
Up to the wooded heights,
Where my overwhelming grief
Dissolves into tears.
Ein Jüngling liebt ein
Mädchen
Ein Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen,
Die hat einen andern ewählt;
Der andere liebt eine andre
Und hat sich mit dieser
vermählt.
Das Mädchen nimmt aus Ärger
Den ersten, besten Mann,
Der ihr in den Weg gelaufen;
Der Jüngling ist übel
dran.
Es ist eine alte Geschichte,
Doch bleibt sie immer
neu;
Und wem sie just passieret,
Dem bricht das Herz entzwei.
A boy loves a girl
A boy loves a girl,
Who chooses another;
He in turn loves another
And marries her.
The girl, out of pique,
Takes the very first man
To come her way;
The boy is badly hurt.
It is an old story,
Yet it remains ever new;
And he to whom it happens,
It breaks his heart in two.
Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen
Am leuchtenden
Sommermorgen
Geh ich im Garten herum.
Es flüstern und sprechen die Blumen,
Ich aber wandle stumm.
Es flüstern und sprechen die Blumen,
Und schaun mitleidig mich an:
Sei unsrer Schwester nicht böse,
Du trauriger, blasser Mann.
One bright summer morning
One bright summer morning
I walk round the garden.
The flowers whisper and talk
But I move silently
The flowers whisper and talk
And look at me in pity:
Be not angry with our sister,
You sad, pale man.
Ich hab' in Traum geweinet
Ich hab' in Traum geweinet,
Mir Träumte du lägest im Grab.
Ich wachte auf, und die Träne
Floss noch von der Wange herab.
Ich hab im Traum geweinet,
Mir träumt', du verliessest mich.
Ich wachte auf, und ich weinte
Noch lange bitterlich.
Ich hab im Traum geweinet,
Mir träumte, du wärst mir noch gut.
Ich wachte auf, und noch immer
Strömt meine Tränenflut.
I wept in my dream
I wept in my dream,
I dreamt you lay in your grave.
I woke, and tears
Still flowed down my cheeks.
I wept in my dream,
I dreamt you were leaving me.
I woke, and wept on
Long and bitterly.
I wept in my dream,
I dreamt you loved me still.
I woke,and still
My tears stream.
Allnächtlich in Traume seh' ich dich
Allnächtlich in Traume seh' ich dich,
Und sehe dich freundlich grüssen,
Und laut aufweinend stürz' ich mich
Zu deinen süssen Füssen.
Du siehest mich an
wehmütiglich
Und schüttelst das blonde Köpfchen;
Aus deinen Augen schleichen sich
Die
Perlentränentröpfchen.
Du sagst mir heimlich ein leises Wort,
Und gibst mir den Strauss von Cypressen.
Ich wache auf, und der Strauss ist fort,
Und's Wort hab' ich vergessen.
Nightly in my dreams I see you
Nightly in my dreams I see you,
And see your friendly greeting,
And weeping loud, I hurl myself
Down at your sweet feet.
Wistfully you look at me,
Shaking your fair little head;
Tiny little pearl-like tears
Trickle from your eyes.
You whisper me a soft word
And hand me a wreath of cypress.
I wake up and the wreath is gone,
And I cannot remember the word.
Aus alten Märchen winkt es
Aus alten Märchen winkt es
Hervor mit weisser Hand,
Da singt es, und da klingt es
Von einem Zauberland;
Wo bunte Blumen
blühen,
In goldnen Abendlicht,
Und lieblich duftend glühen
Mit bräuchtlichem
Gesicht;
Und grüne Bäume singen
Uralte Melodei'n,
Die Lüfte heimlich
klingen,
Und Vögel schmettern drein;
Und Nebelbilder steigen
Wohl aus der Erd' hervor,
Und tanzen luft'gen Reigen
Im wunderlichen Chor;
Und blaue Funken brennen
An jedem Blatt und Reis,
Und rote Lichter rennen
Im irren, wirren Kreis;
Und laute Quellen
brechen
Aus wildem Marmorstein,
Und seltsam in den Bächen
Strahlt fort der Wilderschein.
Ach, könnt' ich dorthin kommen
Und dort mein Herz erfreun,
Und aller Qual
entnommen
Und frei und selig sein!
Ach! jenes Land der
Wonne,
Das seh' ich oft im Traum;
Doch kommt die Morgensonne,
Zerfliesst's wie eitel Schaum.
A white hand beckons
A white hand beckons
From fairy tales of old,
Where there are sounds and songs
Of a magic land;
Where brightly coloured flowers
Bloom in golden twilight,
And glow sweet and fragrant
With a bride-like face;
And green trees
Sing primeval melodies,
Mysterious breezes murmur,
And birds warble;
And misty shapes rise up
From the very ground,
And dance airy dances
In a strange throng;
And blue sparks blaze
On every leaf and twig,
And red fires race
Madly round and round;
And loud springs gush
From wild marble cliffs.
And strangely in the streams
The reflection shines on.
Ah, could I but reach that land,
And there make glad my heart,
And be relieved of all pain,
And be blissful and free!
Ah! that land of delight,
I see it often in my dreams,
But with the morning sun
It melts like mere foam.
Die alten, bösen Lieder
Die alten, bösen Lieder,
Die Träume bös' und arg,
Die lasst uns jetzt begraben;
Holt einen grossen Sarg.
Hinein leg' ich gar manches,
Doch sag' ich noch nicht was;
Der Sarg muss sein noch grösser,
Wie's Heidelberger Fass.
Und holt eine Totenbahre
Und Bretter fest und dick;
Auch muss sie sein noch länger,
Als wie zu Mainz die Brück'.
Und holt mir auch zwölf Riesen,
Die müssen noch stärker sein
Als wie der starke Christoph
Im Dom zu Köln am
Rhein.
Die sollen den Sarg forttragen
Und senken ins Meer hinab,
Denn solchem grossen Sarge
Gebührt ein grosses
Grab.
Wisst ihr, warum der Sarg wohl
So gross und schwer mag sein?
Ich senkt' auch meine Liebe
Und meinen Schmerz hinein.
The bad, old songs
The bad, old songs,
The bad and bitter dreams,
Let us now bury them,
Fetch me a large coffin.
I have much to put in it,
Though what I won't yet say;
The coffin must be even larger
Than the Vat at Heidelberg.
And fetch a bier
Made of firm thick timber;
And it must be even longer
Than the bridge at Mainz.
And fetch for me twelve giants,
They must be even stronger
Than Saint Christopher the Strong
In the Cologne Cathedral on the Rhine.
They shall bear the coffin away,
And sink it deep into the sea;
For such a large coffin
Deserves a large grave.
Do you know why the coffin
Must be so large and heavy?
I'd like to bury there my love
And my sorrow too.
Translations by Richard Stokes from The Book of Lieder
published by Faber & Faber, with thanks to George
Bird, co-author of The Fischer-Dieskau Book of Lieder
published by Victor Gollancz Ltd. !
Zápisník zmizelého (The Diary of One Who Disappeared)
Song cycle for tenor, alto, three female voices, and piano
Leoš Janáček (1854-1928)
Poems by Ozef Kalda, originally published under the name, “From the pen of a self-taught man,”
I
Potkal sem mladou cigánku,
nesla sa jako laň,
přes prsa černé lelíky
a oči bez dna zhlaň.
Pohledla po mně zhlboka,
pak vznesla sa přes peň
a tak mi v hlavě ostala
přes ce-lučký, celučký deň.
One day I met a Gypsy girl,
lithe as a deer was she,
black hair lay on her shoulders,
her eyes were deep as the sea.
With searching eyes she looked at me
then swift as a bird flew,
but left me yearning after her
for all that day, all that day through.
II
Ta černá cigánka
kolem sa posmětá,
proč sa tady drží, proč sa tady drží,
proč nejde do světa? Proč nejde, proč
nejde do světa?
Byl bych snad veselší,
gdyby odjít chtěla;
šel bych sa pomodlit
hnedkaj do kostela.
That blackeyed Gypsy has haunted me all the day.
Why does she not leave me, why does she not
leave me?
Leave me and go her way why won't she leave me and go her way?
If she would let me be
she would end this worry,
then to the church with my prayers I would hurry.
III
Svatojanské mušky tančíja po hrázi,
gdosi sa v podvečer podle ní prochází.
Nečekaj, nevyjdu, nedám já sa zlákat,
mosela by po téj má maměnka plakat.
Měsíček zachodí, už nic vidět není,
stojí gdosi, stojí, v našem záhumení.
Dvoje světélka záříja do noci.
Pane Bože, pane Bože nedaj! Stoj mi,
stoj mi ku pomoci!
Through the twilight glowworms dance across the meadow
but the dusk falls and across the field a footstep goes.
Do not wait, I will not yield to this temptation –
that would bring mother´s heart endless tribulation.
Now the moon sets through the world thick dark creating,
by the corner of the stable someone's waiting.
There are two bright eyes glittering there at me.
Oh, my Saviour, oh my blessed Saviour,
hear my prayer and come and save me.
IV
Už mladé vlaštúvky ve hnízdě vrnoží,
ležal sem celú noc jako na trnoži.
Už sa aj svítání na nebi patrní,
ležal sem celú noc jako nahý v trní.
Already swallows are twittering overhead,
but I've lain all the night sleepless upon my bed.
Now in the sky there's a light, it's the flush of dawn,
and I've lain all the night as on a bed of thorn.
V
Těžko sa mi oře, vyspal sem sa málo,
a gdyž sem odespal: o ní sa mi zdálo.
Oní sa mi zdálo.
Ploughing is weary work, without sleep to ease me,
for when I fell asleep, still in dreams
she'd tease me.
VI
Hajsi!, vy siví volci,
bedlivo orajte,
nic vy se k olšině
nic neohledajte!
Ode vrdéj země
pluh mi odskakuje,
strakatý fěrtúšek
listím pobleskuje.
Gdo tam na mne čeká
nech rači zkamení
moja chorá hlava
v jednom je plameni.
Gdo tam na mne čeká,
nech rači zkamení.
Hey, there my tawny oxen,
careful how you pull the plough,
don't look towards the elders,
follow the furrow now,
where the ground is hard,
the plough springs back and lurches
still I can see that bright kerchief
through the branches.
Who's there waiting for me?
Oh that she would turn to stone!
My poor head is throbbing,
and like a fire has grown.
Who's there waiting for me?
Oh that she were turned to stone!
VII
Ztratil sem kolíček,
ztratil sem od nápravy,
postojte, volečci, postojte,
nový to vyspraví.
Půjdu si pro něho
rovnú já do seče.
Co komu súzeno,
tomu neuteče!
Why has my plough broken?
I think the wooden shaft's gone.
Now oxen wait for me, wait for me,
I'll make another one.
Over there I'll cut one
from that fine elder tree.
Who can escape his fate?
For what must be, must be.
VIII
Nehleďte, volečci,
tesklivo k úvratím,
nebojte sa o mne,
šak sa vám neztratím!
Stojí černá Zefka
v olšině na kraju
temné její oči
jiskrú ligotajú.
Nebojte sa o mne,
aj gdyž k ní přikročím,
dokážu zdorovat
uhrančlivým očím.
Don't look, my oxen,
so sad at my change of heart,
No need to fear that
because of this we must part.
Black-haired Zeffka's waiting there
by the elder tree,
where like glowing coals of fire
her black eyes watch me.
If I should go near her,
think not that she'd harm me.
I'll show you, I'll be safe.
Her eyes will not charm me.
IX
„Vítaj, Janíčku,
vítaj tady v lese!
Jaká šťastná trefa, šťastná trefa,
ťa sem cestú nese?
Vítaj, Janíčku!
Co tak tady stojíš?
Bez krve, bez hnutí,
či snad sa mne bojíš?“
„“ Nemám já sa věru,
nemám sa koho bát,
přišel sem si enom
nákolníček uťat, nákolníček uťat.“
„Neřež můj Janíčku,
neřež nákolníčku!
Rači si poslechni
cigánskú pěsničku!“
Ruky sepjala,
smutno zpívala,
truchlá pěsnička
srdcem hýbala.
Welcome my handsome one,
I am here to greet you.
Why this stroke of fortune?
What kind twist of fate has let me meet you?
Once more welcome, Jan.
Won't you then come near me?
Standing there pale and still,
is it that you fear me?
I've no cause to fear you,
why should I be afraid?
I've come here and I must now
get a new shaft made.
Leave it, my handsome Jan.
Do not be so head-strong.
Leave your work, sit and hear,
I'll sing a Gypsy song.
Folding then her hands,
softly sang so sad a strain
that the mournful song
filled his heart with pain.
X
Bože dálný, nesmrtelný,
proč´s cigánu život dal?
By bez cíle blúdil světem,
štván byl jenom dál a dál?
„Rozmilý Janíčku,
čuješi skřivánky?
Přisedni si přeca
podlevá cigánky!“
Truchlá pěsnička
srdcem hýbala.
Bože mocný, milosrdný!
Než v pustém světě zahynu,
daj mi poznat, daj mi cítit,
daj mi cítit, daj mi cítit.
Smutná pěsnička
srdcem hýbala.
„Pořád tady enom
jak solný slp stojíš,
všecko mi připadá,
že sa ty mne bojíš.
Přisedni si blížej,
ne tak zpozdaleka,
či ťa moja barva
přeca enom leká?
Nejsu já tak černá
jak sa ti uzdává,
gde nemože slnce,
jinší je postava!“
Košulku na prsoch
krapečku shrnula,
košulku na prsoch
krapečku shrnula,
jemu sa všecka krev
do hlavy vhrnula.
God all-powerful, God eternal,
why create the Gypsy race?
Endless wand’ring, never resting,
hunted on from place to place.
Why are you silent, Jan?
Is it the lark you hear?
That the mournful song
filled his heart with pain.
Come and sit beside me,
surely you have no fear.
God all-powerful, God redeemer,
ere I perish in the wilderness,
grant me knowledge of desiring,
grant me knowledge of desiring.
That her mournful song
filled his heart with pain.
Why are you so silent?
Won't you then come near me?
Being so close to me
seems to make you fear me.
Come and sit beside me
do not think I tease you.
Maybe it's my colour?
Does my skin displease you?
Don't think all my body
is so brown and sunburnt,
come and look more closely,
here my skin is snow-white.
Then did she slowly
open her white bodice,
and showed to him her white breasts
so pure, so modest
and all his hot young blood
rushed to his face and burned.
XI
Táhne vůňa k lesu
z rozkvetlé pohanky –
„Chceši, Janku, vidět,
jak spíja cigánky?
Chceši vědět,
jak spíja cigánky?“
Halúzku zlomila,
kameň odhodila.
„Tož už mám ustlané“
v smíchu prohodila.
„Zem je mi za polštář,
nebem sa přikrývám
a rosú schladlé ruce
v klíně si zahřívám.“
V jednéj sukénce
na zemi ležala
a moja poctivost
pláčem usedala, pláčem usedala.
From the rip'ning cornfield,
oh what sweet odours creep?
Will you let me show you how
Gypsy people sleep?
Shall I show you the way
the Gypsies sleep?
She brushed some twigs away,
threw some pebbles after,
‘Behold my bed' she said,
then she shook with laughter.’
‘Earth is my pillow
and heaven my covering,
I warm my fingers in my lap
when they're shivering.’
In her tattered skirt,
there on the ground she lies,
and for my virtue's sake
tears spring to my sad eyes.
XII
Tmavá olšinka,
chladná studénka,
černá cigánka,
bílé kolénka:
na to štvero, co živ budu,
nigdy já už nezabudu.
Forest's shady height,
Water cold and bright,
eyes as black as night,
bare thighs snowy white,
these four things, till death relieve me,
will, I swear it, never leave me.
XIII
Piano solo
XIV
Slunéčko sa zvihá,
tín sa krátí.
Oh! Čeho sem pozbyl,
oh, čeho sem pozbyl,
gdo, gdo, gdo mi to navrátí?
Gdo mi to navrátí?
Sunlight on the meadow.
Dawn has come then.
Oh what I have lost now,
Oh what I have lost now,
who can give back again?
Who can give back again?
XV
Moji siví volci,
co na mne hledíte?
Es-li vy to na mne,
esli vy povíte!
Nebudu já biča
na vás šanovat,
budete to potem
budete banovat.
Nejhorší však bude,
vráťa sa k polednu,
jak já jen maměnce
do očí pohlednu!
Now my tawny oxen,
why do you stare at me?
If you should betray me,
sadly you'll fare with me.
Just give my secrets up
and I'll punish you.
Just dare betray me,
my beating will finish you.
But now before me
by far the worst ordeal lies how can I go back home?
How face my mother's eyes?
XVI
Co sem to udělal?
Jaká to vzpomněnka!
Gdyž bych já měl pravit
cigánce: maměnka.
Cigánce maměnka,
cigánu tatíček,
rači bych si uťal
od ruky malíček!
Vyletěl skřivánek
vyletěl z ořeší,
moje truchlé srdce
nigdo nepotěší.
What has come over me?
What is it I have done?
Must I now learn to love
Gypsies who call me son?
Father a Gypsy lout ?
Mother a Gypsy slut?
Better that a finger
from my own hand were cut.
There's a lark above me,
offering me gladness,
but my heart is heavy,
who can ease my sadness?
XVII
Co komu súzeno,
tomu neuteče.
Spěchám já včil často
na večer do seče.
Co tam chodím dělat?……
Sbírám tam jahody.
Lísteček odhrňa,
užiješ lahody.
Who can escape his fate,
for what must be, must be.
Ev'ry night I hurry
to that same elder tree.
Ask me where I'm going!
Ask me where I'm going!
Gathering strawberries under the shady trees
searching for mysteries.
XVIII
Nedbám já včil o nic,
než aby večer byl,
abych já si s Zefkú
celú noc pobyl.
Povšeckým kohútom
hlavy bych zutínal,
to aby žádný z nich
svítání nevolal.
Gdyby chtěla noc
na věky trvati,
abych já na věky
mohl milovati.
Nothing matters now until
ev'ning shadows fall,
soon I'll be with Zeffka,
I hear her call.
Gladly I'd wring the neck
of ev'ry cock that crows;
then there'd be no one
to tell us it's time we rose.
Oh that night were endless
without a dawn,
then from each other's arms
we would never be torn.
XIX
Letí straka, letí,
křídlama chlopotá,
ztratila sa sestře
košulenka z plota.
Gdo jí ju ukradl,
oj, gdyby věděla,
věckrát by se mnú
řečnovat nechtěla.
Oh, Bože, rozbože,
jak sem sa proměnil,
jak sem své myšlenky
ve svém srdci změnil.
Co sem sa modlíval,
už sa hlava zbyla,
jak gdyby sa pískem
zhlybeň zařútila!
See that thieving magpie
suddenly fly away!
Did it steal the skirt
my sister washed on Monday?
If she should ever
know it was no magpie's beak,
she would disown me,
no more to me she'd speak.
Oh my Lord God,
what a change has come over me.
In my desperation,
what strange fancies stir me.
And pray'rs confuse my mind
- these I can't unravel.
All is like a stream that's sluggish,
clogged with gravel.
XX
Mám já panenku
ale po, po, po kolenka,
už sa jí zdvihá
režná ko, ko, košulenka.
Now she bears my child,
see how bright, bright, bright her eyes are!
As her skirt flies up,
see how white, white, white her thighs are!
XXI
Můj drahý tatíčku,
jak vy sa mýlíte,
že sa já ožením,
kterú mi zvolíte.
Každý, gdo pochybil,
nech trpí za vinu:
svojému osudu
rovněž nevyminu!
Father, how wrong you were
not to respect my pride,
choosing the girl that you
wanted to be my bride.
He who has sinned must be punished,
so life taught me.
So too must I accept
what my fate has brought me.
XXII
Sbohem, rodný kraju,
sbohem, má dědino!
Navždy sa rozlúčit,
zbývá mi jedino.
Sbohem, můj tatíčku,
a i vy, maměnko,
sbohem, má sestřičko,
mých očí poměnko!
Ruce vám obtúlám,
žádám odpuštění,
už pro mne návratu
žádnú cestú není!
Chci všechno podniknút,
co osud poručí.
Zefka na mne čeká,
se synem v ná-ručí!
Then farewell, dearest land,
then farewell from my heart,
all that's left for me now
is to say we must part.
So goodbye, father dear,
and to you, mother dear,
and goodbye, sister sweet,
you with your eyes so clear,
See my hands raised to you,
please forgive ev'rything.
There can be no return
from the life I'm beginning.
No escape can there be,
fate's bidding must be done.
Zeffka waits for me there,
in her arms, my own son.
!