Tarakan (Dostoyevsky, set by D. Shostakovich) (The Lied and Art Song Texts Page: Texts and Translations to Lieder, mélodies, canzoni, and other classical vocal music)


Zhil na svete tarakan,
Tarakan ot detstva,
I potom popal v stakan
Polny mukhojedstva --
 
-    Gospodi! Chto takoje? [...]¹
-    To jest', kogda letom [...]¹ v stakan
nalezut mukhi, to proiskhodit
mukhojedstvo, vsjakij durak poimjot,
ne perebivajte, ne perebivajte, 
vy uvidite, vy uvidite! [...]¹
 
[Pozhalujsta, snachala!
 
Zhil na svete tarakan,
Tarakan ot detstva,
I potom popal v stakan
Polny mukhojedstva.]²

Mesto zanjal tarakan,
Mukhi vozroptali,
,,Polon ochen' nash stakan``, --
K Jupiteru zakrichali.

No poka u nikh shjol krik,
Podoshjol Nikifor,
Bla-go-rodnejshij starik ... ...
 
Tut u menja jeshchjo ne dokoncheno,
no vsjo ravno, slovami! [...]¹ 
Nikifor berjot stakan i, nesmotrja na krik,
vypljoskivajet v lokhan' vsju komediju,
i mukh i tarakana, chto davno nado bylo sdelat'.
No zamet'te, [no]² zamet'te,
sudarynja, tarakan ne ropshchet! [...]¹ 
,,Tarakan ne ropshchet.``
Chto zhe kasajetsja do Nikifora, 
to on izobrazhajet prirodu.

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¹ indicates text has been omitted.
² added by Shostakovich.

Input by Ferdinando Albeggiani

Show Cyrillic (Покажите текст в кириллице)
Note on Transliteration

Authorship

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (1821-1881)

Besy (The Devils)

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Chetyrjokh stikhotvorenijakh kapitana Lebjadkina (Four Verses of Captain Lebyadkin)

Date added to the website: 2008-12-30.

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