Listen to the grandmaster sing

Russian (transcription)

Iz-za ostrova na stryezhyen',
Na prostor ryechnoy volny,
Vyplyvayut raspisnyye,
Ostrogrudyye chyelny.

Na pyeryednyem Styen'ka Razin,
Obnyavshis' sidit s knyazhnoy,
Svad'bu novuyu spravlyayet,
On vyesyolyy i khmyel'noy.

Pozadi ikh slyshyen ropot:
"Nas na babu promyenyal,
Nochku s nyeyu provozilsya,
Sam na utro baboy stal."

Etot ropot i nasmyeshki
Slyshit groznyy ataman,
I on moshchnoyu rukoyu
Obnyal pyersiyanki stan.

Brovi chyornyye soshlisya,
Nadvigayetsya groza,
Buynoy krov'yu nalilisya
Atamanovy glaza.

"Vsyo otdam, nye pozhalyeyu,
Buynu golovu otdam,"
Razdayetsya golos vlastnyy
Po okryestnym byeryegam.

A ona, potupya ochi,
Ni zhiva i ni myertva,
Molcha slushayet khmyel'nyye
Atamanovy slova:

"Volga, Volga, mat' rodnaya,
Volga, russkaya ryeka!
Nye vidala ty podarka
Ot donskogo kazaka!"

"I chtob nye bylo razdora
Myezhdu vol'nymi lyud'mi,
Volga, Volga, mat' rodnaya,
Na --- krasavitsu primi!"

Moshchnym vzmakhom podymayet
On krasavitsu-knyazhnu,
I za bort yeyo brosayet,
V nabyezhavshuyu volnu.

"Chto-zh vy, chyerti, priunyli?
Ey ty, Fil'ka, shut, plyashi!
Gryanyem, brattsy, udaluyu
Na pomin yeyo dushi!"

Iz-za ostrova na stryezhyen',
Na prostor ryechnoy volny,
Vyplyvayut raspisnyye
Styen'ki Razina chyelny.

Translation Jacob Robbins, 1921

From beyond the wooded island
To the river wide and free,
Proudly sail the arrow-breasted
Ships of Cossack yeomanry.

On the first is Stenka Razin
With a princess at his side,
Drunken, holds a marriage revel
With his beautiful young bride.

But behind them rose a whisper,
"He has left his sword to woo;
One short night, and Stenka Razin
Has become a woman too!"

Stenka Razin hears the jeering
Of his discontented band,
And the lovely Persian princess
He has circled with his hand.

His black brows have come together
As the waves of anger rise,
And the blood comes rushing swiftly
To his piercing, jet-black eyes.

"I will give you all you ask for,
Life and heart, and head and hand,"
Echo rolls the pealing thunder
Of his voice across the land.

"Volga, Volga, mother Volga,
Deep and wide beneath the sun,
You have never seen a present
From the Cossack of the Don.

And that peace might rule as always
All my free-born men and brave,
Volga, Volga, mother Volga,
Volga, make this girl a grave."

With a sudden, mighty movement,
Razin lifts the beauty high,
And he casts her where the waters
Of the Volga move and sigh.

Now a silence like the grave sinks
To all those who stand to see,
And the battle-hardened Cossacks
Sink to weep on bended knee.

"Dance, you fool, and men, make merry!
What has got into your eyes?
Let us thunder out a chanty
Of a place where beauty lies."

From beyond the wooded island
To the river wide and free,
Proudly sail the arrow-breasted
Ships of Cossack yeomanry.

Italian original

Notte e giorno faticar,
Per chi nulla sa gradir,
Piova e vento sopportar,
Mangiar male e mal dormir.
Voglio far il gentiluomo
E non voglio piu' servir...
Oh che caro galantuomo!
Vuol star dentro colla bella,
Ed io far la sentinella!
Voglio far il gentiluomo
E non voglio piu' servir...
Ma mi par che venga gente;
Non mi voglio far sentir.

Translation by Leonora McClernan

Day and night slaving away,
For someone who is never satisfied,
Rain and wind to put up with,
Eating badly and sleeping badly.
I want to be a gentleman
And I don't want to be a servant anymore...
Oh what a chivalrous gentleman!
He wants to stay inside with beautiful woman,
And I am the lookout!
I want to be a gentleman
And I don't want to be a servant anymore...
But it seems like someone's coming;
I don't want to let anyone know I'm here.