Anthology of Modern Slavonic Literature in Prose and Verse/Nocturne
1. NOCTURNE.
Gently, gently, gently, spider
Spins a thread;
Where the fir-trees slimly loom, in woods, the stag has laid his head;
Night, the silent, lofty, presses
O'er the land with silvery glazes,
And a quenchèd lamp she raises
From the water's deep recesses.
Guiding mortals by the hand, as blind sons, dream advances.
—I will weave a nest, O mother, deep within their glances—
Cricket from the grass is prying:
See, O darling, see!
Gently, gently spins the spider
Threadlets three.
Woe, woe, woe has gathered round me,
Black and fierce.
In my breast a green-hued sprig of rose has made a thorn to pierce.
And my sobbing, sobbing, sobbing
In this lustrous night doth scatter;
Pearly tear-drops downward patter;
With restive wings I set them throbbing:
They are shaken, pitter-patter
On a marble platter.
O thou green-hued sprig of rose, within thy barb a store of pain is,
And my bosom is so frail, and in this woe a store of bane is!
From my heart the blood-drops patter:
Tap, tap, tap. . .
In that thorn from off the rose-tree poisoned is the sap.
Can the moon reveal no splendour,
Or the night-bloom scent engender.
With this cry allayed?
Canst not, earth, to sleep surrender,
With my weeping stayed?
Dost thou crave another's anguish, that thou lull to rest thy woe?
Stars are hotly dropping tears upon the meads and dales below. . .
O sorrow is thus more tender!
Woe, woe woe.
Night with potent spell enchants my
Woodland calm.
Where, O where art thou, enchantress? Thee thy friend calls with a psalm!
Hearken: chiming, chiming, chiming,—
Jasmin-calyx, scarce unfolded,
Lily-calyx, bigly moulded;
Hearken: whirring, whirring, whirring
Of the juniper's green windle,
Of forget-me-not's blue spindle!
Blossoms scatter waves of fragrance in this peaceful night.
O enchantress, hither, hither:
Now our troth we plight!
Cricket from the grass is prying:
See, O maiden, see!
Where our bed is softly lying
Gently spins the spider
Fibres three.
I am in this dim, deep night-time
All alone.
Unto whom my joy to utter and my sorrow to bemoan?
Prithee, drench with wet caresses,
Dewdrop, wisps of elfin-tresses!
Prithee, drench, thou radiant shimmer,
Shepherd's-pouches with thy glimmer!
I am singing, singing, singing starry rays.
In my anguished breast have nestled all the glories that are May's:
Every nook the wreath containeth,
Every kiss the petal gaineth;
Sweetest fragrance that in billowings arises,
That is wafted, that is twirled in curving guises,
That is rocking, that is swinging,
To the moth's and insect's winging;
Breath of earth that sinks to rest in warm embraces,
And the quiver of the stars in flashing traces:
Throbbing, lustre, perfume, surging
Heave their billows like an ocean
With my bosom merging!
I am singing, singing, singing in this night that is enchanted,
In this warm, impassioned night, with wreaths of blossoms round it planted,
Frail, alone.
Unto whom my joy to utter and my sorrow to bemoan?
On the woodland branches growing
In the night, a thirsty bud is;
And my wounded heart is strowing
Drop by drop, the dew,—that blood is,—
Gently flowing.
Spider weave, O weave a net stoutly blended!
Gently, gently, lest thy fibre be rended!
There this night thou show'st no pity
To thy spoil!
Round these slender threads my ditty
Too, shall coil!
This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.
| Original: |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929. The longest-living author of this work died in 1949, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 74 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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| Translation: |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929. The longest-living author of this work died in 1970, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 53 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse |
