44 2014 Program Notes, Book 7
Friday, July 25 and Saturday, July 26, 2014
na raskhristannoi tyelyegye
in an open cart sailed by
plyl v rubakhye byeloi on.
in a white shirt he himself.
SOLOIST AND CHORUS
On molchal, nye uti ra Isa,
He was silent, nor wiped away
vyes’oplyovanniy tolpoi,
the spit that came from all the mob,
tol’ko gor’ko usmyekhalsa na soboi:
only smiled bitterly to himself:
Sten’ka, Sten’ka, ty, ka k vyetka,
Stenka, Stenka, you are like a branch
poteryavshaya listvu.
that has lost its leaves.
Kak v Moskvu khotyel ty v’yekhat’!
How you wanted to ride into Moscow!
Vot i vyekhal ty v Moskvu ...
Now you have ridden into Moscow ...
Ladno, plyuitye, plyuitye —
Very well, spit, spit —
vsyo zhe radost’zadarma.
all my joy is gone to nothing.
Vy vsyegda plyuyotye, lyudi,
You always spit, good people,
v tekh, kto khochet vam dobra.
on those who wish you well.
D’yak mnye bil s ottyazhkoi v zuby,
The clerk beat me on the mouth with rope,
prigovarival, ryetiv:
sentenced me, zealously:
“Suprotiv naroda vzdumal?
“You meant to be a rebel against the people?
Budyesh’ znat’, kak suprotiv!”
You’ll soon learn what kind of rebel you are!”
Ya derzhalsa, glaz nye pryatal.
I held firm, nor turned away my eyes.
Krov’yu kharkal ya otvyet:
Along with blood I spat out my reply:
“Suprotivboyarstva — pravda.
“A rebel against the boyars — true.
Suprotiv naroda — nyet.”
A rebel against the people? — no.”
Ot sebya nye otryekayus’
I will make no disavowal,
vybrav sam syebye udyel.
I chose my own lot.
Pyered vami, lyudi, kayus’,
Before you, my people, I repent,
no nye v tom, shto d’yak khotyel.
but not for what the clerk wanted.
Golova moya povinna.
My head is guilty.
Vizhu, sam sebya kaznya:
I see I am self-executed:
ya bylprotiv — polovinno,
I was a rebel — half-way,
nado bylo do kontsa.
and should have been to the end.
Nyet, nye tyem ya, lyudi, gryeshen,
No, I am not guilty, my people,
shto boyar na bashnyakh vyeshal.
of hanging boyars from the turrets.
Gryeshen ya v glazakh moikh
I am guilty in my own eyes
tyem, shto malo vyeshal i kh.
of hanging too few of them.
Gryeshen tyem, shto v mirye ziobstva
I am guilty, in a world of malice,
byl ya dobriy ostolop.
of being a good-natured fool.
Gryeshen tyem, shto, vrag kholopstva,
I am guilty, as a foe of serfdom,
sam ya malost’byl kholop.
of being in the least degree a serf.
Gryeshen tyem, shto drat’sa dumal
I am guilty of wanting to fight
za khoroshevo tsarya.
for a good czar.
Nyet tsarei khoroshikh, duryen’ Sten’ka,
There are no good czars, fool Stenka,
gibnu ya zazrya!
and I die in vain!
CHORUS
Nad Moskvoi kolokola gudut.
Through Moscow the bells drone.
K myestu Lobnomu Sten’ku vedut.
They’re leading Stenka to Execution Place.
Pyered Sten’koi, na vyetru poloshcha,
Before Stenka, blowing in the wind,
b’yotsa kozhaniy pyerednik palacha,
flaps the executioner’s leather apron,
a v rukakh u palacha nad tolpoi
and in his hands, above the crowd,
goluboi topor, kak Volga, goluboi.
is a blue ax, blue as the Volga.
