Pis'mo k Materi
(Letter to My Mother)
The origin of the song was the verse "Pis'mo k Materi", written in 1924 by the Russian poet Sergey Yesenin (1895-1925). The music to it was written by Vasily Lipatov (1897-1965), at that time a young Russian composer.
Yesenin's poems are said to be like himself: nice and simple. In every line there is the love for his country. "Letter to my mother" was written in the last period of his life and is a sort of the life summary. The garden in the poem symbolizes the poet's childhood, the road is the way of life. The plot develops in descending intonation with some pictures from the past, and the last stanza is the result of all the above. But during his journey on the pathway of life, the poet never forgets his mother. However, the poem was written not only for Yesenin's mother, it is a letter to all the mothers in the world. Shortly before his death, the poet Sergey Yesenin wrote his most vivid and also his most desperate poems that later became songs and romances. Several verses from his cycle "Moscow Taverns" were put to music, such as "Fun" and "I will not deceive myself". |
The following years, till his tragic death in 1925, were filled with frustrations, treatments in psychiatric clinics, but also incredible poems, amongst which "Letter to my Mother" is.
In spring of 1924 "Pis'mo k Materi" was published for the first time in the journal "Red Virgin Soil". There it was discovered by the young Russian composer Vasily Nicholaevich Lipatov. Vasily was so impressed by the text of the poem, that he wrote the notes to it in no more than one day. Afterwards, after Yesenin's death, he would put also other works of the poet onto music, such as "Sing, Sing" and "Oh, My Dear Maple".
In spring of 1924 "Pis'mo k Materi" was published for the first time in the journal "Red Virgin Soil". There it was discovered by the young Russian composer Vasily Nicholaevich Lipatov. Vasily was so impressed by the text of the poem, that he wrote the notes to it in no more than one day. Afterwards, after Yesenin's death, he would put also other works of the poet onto music, such as "Sing, Sing" and "Oh, My Dear Maple".
Sergey Yesenin got acquainted with Vasiliy Lipatov, and together they addressed several times a military orchestra of the Baltic Fleet in Kronstadt, under the leadership of the composer. The Red Seamen played a melody, while the poet was reading the text of "Pis'mo k Materi". One of the musicians, lieutenant-captain Vitaly Gavrilov, remembered that Yesenis's eyes were always filled with "touching grief". During one of the readings, when many seamen had been crying because of the touching words, Yesenin was so shocked that he couldn't constrain his tears. He refused to continue the performance for this reason.
During the performances the notes and the words of the poem were secretly rewritten and shared with acquaintances and relatives. In this way the romance "Letter to my Mother" extended all over Russia and brought popularity to the composer Vasiliy Gavrilov. |
Nikolai Slichenko performing the song
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In 1930s, however, Stalin forbade the decadent music and poetry, partly because of criticism of Nicholai Bukharin, a Russian economist and the editor of Pravda, who accused Yesenin of decadence. At that time the song underwent a cruel prosecution. Only in 1966 most Yesenin`s poems and songs were republished.
Sergey Yesenin
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After Yesenin's death in 1925, the composer Lipatov wrote the music to another popular poem of Yesenin: "Oh, My Dear Maple".
The composer and People's Artist of the USSR, Grigory Ponomarenko, wrote the music to another 15 poems of Yesenin, such as "The Golden Grove Dissuaded", "Darted Fire Blue", ... A lot of singers, such as Dmitry Gnatyuk, Iosif Kobzon, Ivan Kozlowski, Muslim Magomayev, Galina Nenasheva, Vladimir Troshin and Boris Shtokolov did perform "Letter to my Mother". People's Artist of the USSR, Yuri Gulyaev not only sang, but also set music to Yesenin's poems: "The Moon Over The Window", "Darling, We Will Sit Down", ... Also the honored actress of Russia, Claudia Habarova, sang Yesenin's words, being put to music by Alexey Karelin. The composers Sergey Sarychev and Yuri Erikona wrote music to Yesenin's poems, and even nowadays his poems don't cease to inspire the young artists. |
Russian text
Ты жива еще, моя старушка? Жив и я. Привет тебе, привет! Пусть струится над твоей избушкой Тот вечерний несказанный свет. Пишут мне, что ты, тая тревогу, Загрустила шибко обо мне, Что ты часто xодишь на дорогу В старомодном ветxом шушуне. И тебе в вечернем синем мраке Часто видится одно и то ж: Будто кто-то мне в кабацкой драке Саданул под сердце финский нож. Ничего, родная! Успокойся. Это только тягостная бредь. Не такой уж горький я пропойца, Чтоб, тебя не видя, умереть. я по-прежнему такой же нежный И мечтаю только лишь о том, Чтоб скорее от тоски мятежной Воротиться в низенький наш дом. я вернусь, когда раскинет ветви По-весеннему наш белый сад. Только ты меня уж на рассвете Не буди, как восемь лет назад. Не буди того, что отмечалось, Не волнуй того, что не сбылось,- Слишком раннюю утрату и усталость Испытать мне в жизни привелось. И молиться не учи меня. Не надо! К старому возврата больше нет. Ты одна мне помощь и отрада, Ты одна мне несказанный свет. Так забудь же про свою тревогу, Не грусти так шибко обо мне. Не xоди так часто на дорогу В старомодном ветxом шушуне. |
Transliteration
Ty zhiva eshche moya starushka? Zhiv i ya Privet tebe privet! Pust struitsya nad tvoej izbushkoj Tot vechernij neskazannyj svet. Pishut mne chto ty taya trevogu, Zagrustila shibko obo mne, Chto ty chasto xodish na dorogu V staromodnom vetxom shushune. I tebe v vechernem sinem mrake Chasto viditsya odno i to zh; Budto kto-to mne v kabackoj drake Sadanul pod serdce finskij nozh. Nichego rodnaya Uspokojsya. Ehto tolko tyagostnaya bred. Ne takoj uzh gorkij ya propojca, Chtob tebya ne vidya umeret. Ya po-prezhnemu takoj zhe nezhnyj I mechtayu tolko lish o tom, Chtob skoree ot toski myatezhnoj Vorotitsya v nizenkij nash dom. Ya vernus kogda raskinet vetvi Po-vesennemu nash belyj sad. Tolko ty menya uzh na rassvete Ne budi kak vosem let nazad. Ne budi togo chto otmechalos Ne volnuj togo chto ne sbylos, - Slishkom rannyuyu utratu i ustalost Ispytat mne v zhizni privelos. I molitsya ne uchi menya Ne nado! K staromu vozvrata bolshe net. Ty odna mne pomoshch i otrada, Ty odna mne neskazannyj svet. Tak zabud zhe pro svoyu trevogu, Ne grusti tak shibko obo mne. Ne xodi tak chasto na dorogu V staromodnom vetxom shushune. |
English translation
Are you still alive, my dear granny? I am alive as well. Hello! Hello! May there always be above you, honey, The amazing stream of evening glow. I"ve been told that hiding your disquiet, Worrying about me a lot, You go out to the roadside every night, Wearing your shabby overcoat. In the evening darkness, very often, You conceive the same old scene of blood: Kind of in a tavern fight some ruffian Plunged a Finnish knife into my heart. Now calm down, mom! And don"t be dreary! It"s a painful fiction through and through. I"m not so bad a drunkard, really, As to die without seeing you. I"m your tender son as ever, dear, And the only thing I dream of now Is to leave this dismal boredom here And return to our little house. And how! I"ll return in spring without warning When the garden blossoms, white as snow. Please don"t wake me early in the morning, As you did before, eight years ago. Don"t disturb my dreams that now have flown, Don"t perturb my vain and futile strife For it's much too early that I've known Heavy loss and weariness in life. Please don"t teach me how to say my prayers! There is no way back to what is gone. You"re my only joy, support and praise And my only flare shining on. Please forget about your pain and fear, and don"t worry over me a lot Don"t go out to the roadside, dear, Wearing your shabby overcoat. Source: http://www.proza.ru/2011/11/26/1518 Translated by Vagapov A. S. |
http://www.litra.ru/composition/download/coid/00069201184864239920/; http://ser-esenin.ru/sochineniya/468-analiz-stihotvoreniya-s-esenina-pismo-materi.html; http://sportfit.info/en/pages/110086; http://radioshanson.fm/news/istoriya_pesni_pismo_materi;
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergej_Jesenin; http://rusarticlesjournal.com/1/24919/; http://lyricstranslate.com/en/Alexander-Menshikov-Pismo-Materi-PISMO-MATERI-lyrics.html;
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergej_Jesenin; http://rusarticlesjournal.com/1/24919/; http://lyricstranslate.com/en/Alexander-Menshikov-Pismo-Materi-PISMO-MATERI-lyrics.html;