Music
These are some of the poems by Samuil Marshak that have been set to music.
Cupid, translated from Shakespeare:
Cupid the god dozed in a calm wood.
A young nymph
Has taken a burning torch from Cupid's pitch
And has lowered it in a streamlet ice cold.
Fire pojas, and in a streamlet water
Has heated up, has begun to seethe, has begun to boil.
And here patients converge there
To treat with Cupid's balm an ailing body.
And meanwhile love the crafty god
Has extracted fire from the eyes of my girlfriend
And my heart tfrom the experience has burnt.
About, as since then tomat me illnesses!
But cure in the stream,
And the same poison - fire of its eyes can not.
Coming Through the Rye, by Burns:
Making the way up to a gate the
Field, along a boundary,
Dzhеnni вымокла up to a thread in the
Evening in neigh.
Very coldly to the little girl,
Beats the little girl a shiver:
Has wetted all ubsonki,
Going through rozhb.
If someone called someone
Through dense rozhb
And someone was embraced by someone,
What from him voebnesh?
And what to us care
If at a boundary someone
Kissed someone in the
Evening in neighs!
The Messenger, by Heine:
Skip, the messenger, at full speed through woods, fields, you will not drive yet in court yard
Dunkana of king.
Ask in a stable people for whom king-father from two fine daughters prepares under a wreath.
Kohl a black ringlet under a veil - to me an arrow fly, and if a ringlet gold, - do not hurry up in a way.
In каnатnоi to a bench get a cord for me and поезжай in a way back, it is not hot a horse!
The rivers Kaby and lakes it is merged in lake one,
And of all trees of a pine forest to make a tree one,
Axes all посплавит and отлит one axe,
And of all people will make the person above mountains,
Кабы having taken mighty, this terrible giant
This trunk has brought down an axe with кручи in this sea-ocean loud the crash noisy splash would be would be!
Vitebsk which has presented the world of M.Shagala, S.Judovina, J.Pan, undoubtedly, has influenced Marshak's early creativity. The first popularity to the fifteen-year poet was brought " with the Cantata in memory Антокольского (from the Bible) ":
Рече Г-сподь: " Yes there will be a husband great!
His all world not without reason waits.
I shall present it великою душою,
And under it творящею рукою
Cold marble оживет! "..
Verses to a cantata have been written by the young poet at the request of Vladimir Vasilevicha Stasov, music have composed A.K.Glazunov and A.K.Ljadov.
Younger sister Marshak Judif Jakovlevna Marshak - Файнберг tells: " the Chorus and an orchestra of Mariinsky theatre under the control of conductor Suka has executed a cantata... When after the termination of a cantata public demands authors, on a platform leave venerable, all known Glazunov and Лядов, holding for hands of the third author to which on a kind cannot be given and his fifteen years... The Parents who are taking place in a hall, congratulate. Them acquaint with V.V.Stasovym "...
Reflecting on almost eighty-year-old Stasov's surprising friendship and adolescent Samuila Marshak, involuntarily you recollect words Вольтера: " the Friendship of the great person is a gift of gods ". One of the famous figures of Russian culture, the musicologist and the critic, Stasov was glorified by the skill to find talents and hotly to support them. It is possible to believe, that it not only has played a main role in Marshak's destiny, but also has appreciably created it. Acquaintance to Stasov was preceded with the following events...
In the spring of 1902 Jacob Mironovich Marshak has left from Острогожска for Petersburg where has got good work. In the beginning of summer after it to Petersburg Marshak's all big amicable family has moved. Circumstances have allowed family to lead that hot summer on a summer residence in settlement Wood. There, recollects Юдифь Яковлевна, "... Brothers at once have a set familiar. Especially at Семы. Among his friends, as always, people of all age: and the smallest, and already adult ". Were at Семы and fans. One of them - the beauty-grammar-school girl with whom senior brother Moisej has hopelessly fallen in love. Wishing to help the brother, Сема has advised it to open theatre: " Then she precisely will understand you, will estimate and will grow fond!... " That you will not make in the name of love! " The theatre " has been constructed. The future actors have begun with "main thing" - with суфлерской boxes. Above it the stage - an open stage with a construction reminding a football gate, - for a curtain has been erected. From rags, "пожертвованных" summer residents, have sewed the curtain which has appeared extremely picturesque. "Construction" of theatre has borrowed not a lot of time; have chosen the play, have distributed roles. " At Семы there is no patience to learn a role and to go on rehearsal. It will participate in a divertisement - to read the verses. On representation we are sent by all family... When the play comes to an end, to actors long applaud, and they bow... But here on stage Сема... It reads one poem behind another, to it do not allow to leave from a stage... " (JU.JA.Marshak). The friend who has appeared among spectators of the known Petersburg patron of art of baron David Goratsievicha Gintsburga speaks parents: " At you talented sons... Younger I would like to acquaint with... David Gintsburgom "...
Admired Гинцбург asks Marshak's parents to leave Сему for some days at itself - it is going to carry it to V.V.Stasov.
Stasov is fascinated. Wishing to embody a taken place meeting, it has decided to be photographed with young Marshak. After some days in the Clear Glade it shows L.N.thick's photo and tries to interest the great writer the ward. It informs on it to Marshak in the letter from August, 15, 1902: « we with Элиасиком (brother V.V.Stasov. - М.A.), both gathered, and have made: some days at Lion-great have gone and have stayed... A
.. Began to tell to it about new pleasure and happiness that has met any new person luminous червячка whom something to me seems as if promising good, pure, light both creative ahead... And my LION as though has declined the mighty mane and the imperial eyes a little bit in my party. Then I to it have told: " And so that make to me, for God's sake, great and expensive: here, have a look at this small портретик, that I only one of these days have received, and start up your look, остановясь on this young person full of a life, will serve it as if blessing from apart! " And it has made, as I asked... » Arranging Marshak, Stasov's destiny searched for support and at the gifted poet of Grand duke Konstantin Romanov (К.Р.) also has received her.
Under Stasov's petition baron Gintsburg promoted translation of the talented boy from острогожской to a grammar school in Petersburg, and it has changed his life. It is fond of Russian culture, the literature. Supervised by Stasov, greedy absorbs, masters her...
But the young poet does not leave and the Jewish theme:
Beam струится from a sky-
Lovely rushes from mountains Hermona
It is clear, светел, as a crown...
It is harmonous, as a deer.
It it who searched by me,
It it, whom, grieving,
I wait with caress of a kiss... Light up, my day!
This translation from " Songs a song ", as well as many other verses and translations (in particular, from Х.-Н. Valnka), concern to the Yalta period of a life of the poet; they were printed in the almanac " Songs of young Judea " and in newspapers.
In Yalta Marshak lived in 1905-1906 in family of Bitter [Maxim Gorky]. How it has taken place, Jacob Kozlovsky in clause has told "
Communication of times ":
" In warm August day 1904 on a summer residence at Stasov where have gathered F.Shalyapin, A.Glazunov, I.Repin, sculptor I.Gintsburg - close familiar the Lion Thick, young Marshak has got acquainted with Bitter and Shalyapin. The owner of a house, having embraced Itself (so it named with Marshak's love), has told to visitors, that the climate of the north harmful to his young friend. Bitter has addressed to Marshak:
- Want to live in Yalta? We with Feodor shall arrange it. Truly, Feodor?
- We shall by all means arrange, - Shalyapin has cheerfully responded.
After a while Bitter [Maxin Gorky] has caused Marshak to Yalta ".
In 1906 after returning to Petersburg Marshak has got acquainted with the active figure of movement " I.Ben - Zion Is more scarlet Zion", the revolutionary organization of young Jewish workers-Zionists. Further I.Ben - Цви became the president of Israel (1952), and S.J. A.Marshak - the Russian poet. But then, in 1906, under influence of senior friend Marshak has transferred a hymn of the Jewish working-class movement "Oath" which author Jewish writer S. Ansky was; in various editions it printed verses on the Jewish theme - " About, sob ", "Inquisition", " the Song of grief "; in 1907 in Vilnius in newspaper "Аzman" ("Time") his two poems in a Hebrew have been published.
As I already spoke, verses from "Zionid" have captivated my imagination and when, after many years, me the happiness has dropped out to travel across Israel, for memory there came lines of Marshak:
Happy edge!.. Melancholy, anhedonia-
I am ready to transfer all
In light hour unspoken,
For rest delightful in a way.
Whether you will come by tortures,
People - the nomads of the alien countries - ,
To a source of waters, to blessed Zion,
How this harmonious caravan?
The Jewish theme in S.JA.Marshak's creativity has carried by - contrary to erroneous statements - through all life, as well as love to people, his generated, as memory of the native land of the ancestors (" When in eyes darkly from burning, I recollect edge of fathers... "). It, undoubtedly, has kept fidelity V.V.Stasov's to precept: "... Lovely Sемushkа that I wish you also that most of all I am afraid and on what I hope: - that you never will change the first the belief what events and circumstances were, people and attitudes... " (from Stasov's letter to Marshak).
The Second World War affected every aspect of life in the Soviet Union and Shostakovich was evacuated to Kuibishev where in 1942 he composed his Opus 62 – Six Romances on Verses by British Poets. The King’s Campaign (No 6) and Shakespeare’s Sonnet 66 (No 5) are from this group. The brevity and piquancy of the first song, to Russian words by Samuil Marshak (1887-1964), is based on a children’s rhyme more familiar to most English as The Grand Old Duke of York and is dedicated to fellow-composer Vissarion Shebalin.
However, during the years 1953-1955, Kabalevsky finally set ten sonnets, his Opus 52, to Samuil Marshak’s translations. The work was given its first performance on 12 April 1955 in the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory by the bass Ivan Petrov, accompanied by the composer.
EDWARD MORGAN ©2001
Copyright H. David Marshak, All Rights Reserved
