Dark eyes
Otshi tshornýe, otshi strastnýe,
otshi zhgutshiye i prekrasnýe –
kak lublyu ya vas, kak bayus ya vas!
Znat', uvidel vas ya v nyedobrý tshas.
Dark eyes, passionate eyes,
burning and so beautiful eyes –
how I am in love with you, how I am afraid of you!
Since I saw you I have had no good time.
Okh, nyedarom vý glubiný tyemney!
Vizhu traur v vas po dushe mayey,
vizhu plamya v vas ya pabyednoye:
Sozhenu na nyom sertse byednoye.
Oh, your deep darkness is not for nothing!
I see the grief about my soul in you,
I see the invincible flames in you
which burn my poor heart.
No nye grusten ya, nye petshalen ya,
uteshitelna mnye sud'ba maya:
Fsyo shto lutshevo v zhizni bog dal nam
v zhertvu otdal ya ognevým glazam!
But I am not sad, and not depressed,
my fate seems comforting to me:
All the good things God gave us in our lifetime
I have sacrificed for these ardent eyes.
Words: K. P. Grebenko
Music: Russian Gipsy tune, about 1800
Pronunciation:
a as in "bar", e as in "bed", i as in "bid", o as in "bore", u as in "blue"
y = as in "yellow" /
ý = dull i, as in "bill"
s = always voiceless, as in "son" / z = voiced, as in "zone"
sh = voiceless, as in "mesh" / zh = voiced, like the s in "measure"
kh = mostly rough, like the ch in Scotch "loch", but smooth when "e" or "i" follows
a, e, i, o, u, y
= the underlined vowel signifies the stressed syllable of a word.
Musical notation,
transcription and analogous translation: Kai Kracht
Comment:
This melody is easy to understand
because it is so simple:
The plain theme at the beginning
- consisting of only five tones -
is repeated again and again through the whole verse,
but each time in a new variation,
each time with more temperament,
and the inversion of this theme at the end
can hardly catch up the unleashed verve
–
you'll want to hear this tune again and again.
The words of a total and frank devotion to love
match the music very well:
You can give yourself up to this melody completely.
© Kai Kracht 2002