Here’s a singable translation I did of the lovely Russian khorovod
“Oy Tsvetyot Kalina”.
The Snowball Trees
Snowball trees are blooming down along the streams.
I’m in love with someone, the center of my dreams,
Someone young and handsome—but pain now fills my mind:
I must keep it secret; no words dare I find.
I must keep it secret; no words dare I find.
He lives on, not knowing anything of this,
That a girl is thinking, dreaming of his kiss.
By the brook the snowballs shed down their petals white,
Yet this girlish passion never grows more slight.
Yet this girlish passion never grows more slight.
But this girlish passion grows stronger with each day.
How can I reveal it and give my thoughts away?
I hesitate, not daring to make my feelings known.
Oh my darling charmer, please guess it on your own!
Oh my darling charmer, please guess it on your own!
[The first verse is then repeated. I’m still not satisfied with making that verse both accurate and euphonic, so here’s another try—you can mix or match the couplets:]
Snowball trees are blooming down along the shore.
I’m in love with someone, someone I adore:
Someone young and handsome who preys upon my mind—
Yet I keep my secret; no words can I find.
Yet I keep my secret; no words can I find.
And here’s a transcription of the original, done phonetically for English-speakers.
Accents indicate where the main beats of the music fall.
Óy tsvyityot kalyína fpólye u ruchyá.
Párnya maladóva pályubila yá.
Párnya palyubíla ná svayu byidú.
Nyí magu atkrïtsa, slóva nyi naydú.
Nyí magu atkrïtsa, slóva nyi naydú.
Ón zhivyot, nyi znáyit nyíchivo a tóm,
Shtó adna divchína dúmayet a nyóm.
Ú ruchya kalínï átlyitayit tvyét,
Á lyubov dyivíchya nyí prakhodit nyét.
Á lyubóv dyivichya nyí prakhodit nyét.
Á lyubov dyivíchya skázhdïm dnyom silnyéy.
Kág-zhe mne rishítsya rásskazat’ a nyéy?
Yá shazhu, nyi smyéya vólyu dat’ slavám.
Mílïy moy charóshi, dágadaysya sám!
Mílïy moy charóshi, dágadaysya sám!
Óy tsvyityot kalyína fpólye u ruchyá.
Párnya maladóva pályubila yá.
Párnya palyubíla ná svayu byidú.
Nyí magu atkrïtsya, slóva nyi naydú.
Nyí magu atkrïtsya, slóva nyi naydú.
[Notes:
The vowels are roughly as follows:
a as in Eng. mama
e as in met
í as in meet
i as in mit
o as in more
u as in moot
ï as in Pass the butter said quickly
(and if that sounds like the u in butter, you said it too slowly/carefully!)
t’ represents lightly palatalized “t”, as in Tuesday said by New Englanders.
In the last verse, shazhú = shchazhú.]