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LES NOCES

PART I / SCENE I

THE BRIDE'S CHAMBER

THE BRIDE

Tress my tress, O thou fair tress of my hair,

o my little tress.

My mother brush'd thee, mother brush'd thee at evening,

Mother brush'd my tress.

o woe is me, O alas poor me.

BRIDESMAIDS

I comb her tresses her fair golden tresses,

Nastasia's bright hair Timofeevna's fair tresses.

I comb and plait it, with ribbon red I twine it,

I will twine her golden hair.

I comb her fair tresses bright golden tresses,

I comb and I twine Timofeevna's fair tresses,

I bind her tresses I comb them and plait them,

With a fine comb I dress them.

THE BRIDE

Cruel, heartless, came the match-maker,

Pitiless, pitiless cruel one, pitiless cruel one.

She tore my tresses, tore my bright golden hair,

pull'd it tearing it.

She tore my hair that she might plait it in

Two plaits, plaiting it in two.

o woe is me, O alas, poor me.

BRIDESMAIDS

I comb her tresses, her fair golden tresses,

Nastasia's bright hair, Timofeevna's fair tresses,

I comb and plait it, I comb it and bind up her hair,

With a ribbon of bright red, twine it with a ribbon blue.

THE BRIDE

Golden tresses bright, O my tresses fair.

BRIDESMAIDS

Weep not, O dear one, weep not,

Let no grief afflict thee, my dear one,

Weep no more, Nastasia, O weep no longer, my heart, my Timofeevna.

Of your father think, your mother's care,

And of the nightingale in the trees.

Your father-in-law, he will welcome you,

Your mother-in-law will bid you welcome

And tenderly will love you e'en as though you were their own dear child.

Noble Fetis Pamfilievitch, in your garden a nightingale is singing,

In the palace garden all day he whispers cooing notes,

At nightfall hear him singing aloud his song of love.

'T is for you, Nastasia, his Singing, my dear one,

For you alone his singing, for your delight, your happiness,

He shall not disturb you sleeping in time for mass he'll wake you.

Come, come let us make merry from one village to another.

Come, come, dear Nastasia shall be happy,

She must be gay and joyful.

Come!

She should always be of good cheer.

'Neath the little stones a brook flows.

Underneath the stones a little brook is flowing,

Underneath the stones, making loud and happy music.

Loud and gay it sounds like beating drums,

Like beating drums, gaily loudly making music.

So Nastasia Timofeevna, so in marriage do we give thee,

So we give thee.

THE BRIDE AND THE MOTHER

Plait, plait my little tresses,

Plait my hair and bind it with ribbon red,

In plaits bind it tightly,

o plait my hair and bind it with a ribbon red.

o Mary thou Virgin,

come to us and aid us,

come to our aid.

Plait her hair, aid us as we wed her,

Nastasia, fair.

Ah, aid us, unplait her hair,

aid us as we wed her.

BRIDESMAIDS AND THE BRIDE

I twine her tresses, I plait her fair tresses,

I bind the fair hair of my Timofeevna,

I twine her tresses, again I will twine them,

With ribbons entwine it, my Timofeevna,

Once more I comb it and bind it with ribbon,

A ribbon entwin'd about her hair,

Again I will comb Nastasia's fair tresses,

I comb them and twine them, my Timofeevna,

I twine her fair hair, with a ribbon I bind it,

A ribbon of bright red.

Blue a ribbon blue, and ribbon red, bright red, as my own lips are red.

SCENE II

AT THE BRIDEGROOM'S

BRIDEGROOM'S FRIENDS

Virgin Mary, come, come and aid our wedding,

Come, Mary hear our pray'r, aid us as we comb the fair curls of Fetis.

Virgin Mary comb the fair locks of Fetis,

While we comb and brush the curls of Pamfilievitch.

Virgin Mary come.

Wherewith shall we brush and comb and oil the fair locks of Fetis?

Come, come to aid us, O come Virgin Mary,

o come, Mary aid us, uncurl his fair locks.

Quickly le et us to the town and buy some pure, buy some pure olive oil,

And curl his locks, his fair locks.

Come Virgin Mary, come to aid our wedding, aid us now as we uncurl the bridegroom's locks.

Come, O come and aid us to uncurl his fair locks.

Last night, Fetis sat, sat within his house all the while.

PARENTS (in turn)

Last night Pamfilievitch his fair locks sat brushing.

Now to whom to whom will these curls belong?

Now, now, to whom, to whom will these curls belong?

Now they will belong to a rosy lipp'd maiden.

Do they now, now, belong to her, to the tall one,

To Nastasia, to Timofeevna.

Now Nastasia pour oil on them.

Do you pour oil on them;

You, Timofeevna, you pour oil on them.

Oil the fair, the curly locks of Pamfilievitch,

The fair and curly locks.

o the fair, the curly locks of Fetis, the fair and curly locks of Pamfilievitch.

Thy mother curl'd them oft, saying then while she was curling them,

Little son, be you white and rosy cheek'd little son,

My little child, my son.

And another one will curl your locks,

And another one will love you.

Shining locks and curly whose are they?

Shining locks and curly whose are they?

o Pamfilievitch lovely locks curly, the locks of Fetis, well oil'd and lovingly curl'd.

Glory to the father, glory to the mother,

Well have they brought up their wise one obedient, obedient and wise one obedient.

A clever prudent child.

BRIDEGROOM

Let my fair curls be in order,

upon my white face, in order,

And grow used

to my young man's ways,

my habits, my dandy young habits

are usual there.

CHORUS

Ah in Moscow, in the city,

dandy young habits are usual there.

Virgin Mary, come ...

Holy Mother, come to the wedding, to the wedding.

And with Thee, all the holy Apostles.

Come to the wedding, to the wedding.

Now may God bless us, God bless us all,

Come to the wedding,

come to the wedding.

THE BRIDEGROOM

Bless me, my father, my mother, bless me,

Your child who proudly goes

against the strong wall of stone to break it.

See him, Fetis, the noble Fetis there,

See him the noble Fetis,

there to win his bride, his lady.

So the candles are lighted.

We go now to the church

and we kiss there the silver,

To invoke our Lady's blessing.

BEST MAN

All you that come to see

the bride passing by.

did stay to see her ta'en away.

CHORUS

Ah, on his brow to set a golden crown.

See there fades the flow'r too.

Falls a white feather, now the flow'r fades,

Fades the flow'r too, now fades the flow'r,

The feather falleth,

So did Fetis kneel down before his own father,

So did Fetis kneel before his mother graciously,

Asking their blessing upon the son who goes to be married,

And may the saints go with him, guarding him,

May the saints go with him too, and keep him in their care.

Lord, O bless us all from oldest to the youngest children.

Saint Damien bless us also.

Bless us Lord, bless the bride and the bridegroom, bless us also,

The oldest, the youngest, O bless us. Ah!

Bless us, O Lord, and bless now our wedding too,

Bless us, Lord, send Thy blessing upon us all.

Bless us, O bless the father and the mother, sister and brother.

Bless us, O bless the sister and the brother,

Bless us, we pray Thee, bless all who are faithful,

All who fear and love him.

God protect us, aid us now, God be with us now.

Bide with us, abide with us, abide with us now.

Saint Luke, do thou be with us, bless us, Saint Luke, Saint Luke.

Bless our marriage rites we pray thee,

Bless the couple whom thou hast chosen,

Bless the pair Saint Luke bless them whom thou, thou hast chosen;

Grant, O grant thy blessing for always,

And to their children.

SCENE III

THE BRIDE'S DEPARTURE

CHORUS

Brightly shines the moon on high,

beside the glowing sun,

Ev'n so the princess liv'd within the palace happily

beside her aged father and her mother,

Happily beside her father

and her mother dear.

BRIDE

o grant me your blessing,

father, for now I go to a foreign land.

FATHER AND MOTHER

See how bright the candles burn before the Ikon, so I have stood before it long,

So the princess stood awhile and quickly then away she went.

CHORUS

So they gave their blessing to their daughter fair,

So she before her father stood weeping,

And to ev'ry quarter of the world I go.

Holding the ikon, holding bread and salt too,

Holding bread and holding salt too.

Thou Saint Cosmo come with us, Cosmo and Damien, O come with us,

Holy St Cosmo O grant that the wedding may prosper,

Enduring from youth unto age, do thou grant that the wedding may prosper,

Enduring from youth unto age, enduring from youth to old age, to old age.

To the room where the two little doves are sitting,

Two little doves in a small room,

Holy Cosmo and Damien walked about the hall and came back.

To our children even unto them.

In the little room, the happy room, the small room,

There are sitting two little doves.

There is singing, dancing, drinking too.

Tambourines sounding, clashing, cymbals are being played.

Long and happy union grant thou them.

May the wedding endure from their youth, from their youth unto old age and unto their children,

Holy Cosmo and Damien walked about the hall,

They walked about the hall and then they came back.

Virgin Mary, give Thy blessing,

Virgin Mary, Mother of our blest Saviour, grant Thy blessing on this union.

The apostles and all angels, as the hops entwine together,

So our newly married couple cling together,

As one they cling together, as the hops entwine together,

So they cling together, as the hops entwine together.

They two, they two ...

MOTHERS

My own dear one, child of mine, my little one,

Do not leave me, my dear one, little one, child of mine,

Do not leave me my little one, come again to me, my little one.

My own my child, dear child of mine.

Ah, do not leave me lonely, come back, come back, my dear one, my little one,

Child you have forgot, dear one, have forgot the golden keys hanging,

Hanging golden keys hanging there,

My own little child, dear one.

PART II / SCENE IV

THE WEDDING FEAST

CHORUS

Berries two there were on a branch, they fell to the ground,

One berry bows to another berry one.

Ai, louli, louli, louli! Louchenki,ai louli,

A red, a very red one, and a strawberry did ripen,

Ai louchenki, louli.

And one berry to another spoke sweetly,

Close one berry grew to another, close to it,

And one berry represents the noble bridegroom, Fetis,

And the other, Nastasia, 'tis the white one.

So gaily gaily goes he Theodor Tichnovitch,

I found a ring, found a golden ring, ring of gold set with precious stones.

Who comes here so gaily? Palagy stanovitch,

Who is 't comes here so gaily? Palagy stanovitch.

I have lost, lost the golden ring with jewels set, with precious stones.

Oh, oh, poor me, oh, poor Palagy, Oh, poor Palagy no more is gay,

No more is he gay, oh, poor Palagy.

Flying comes a grey, a little goose.

One red berry bows to another red berry,

One red berry spoke to another red berry.

Flying comes a grey, a little goose,

Flying comes a grey goose, little goose, flying comes a grey goose.

Now its wings are beating, its tiny feet are scratching,

Making clouds of dust rise, making all the nobles.

BRIDE'S FATHER

Now behold your wife,

whom God hath given you.

CHORUS

And what did we tell you, dear Nastasia?

Your wife must sew and spin, she must keep the linen and sew and spin the flax white and sew it too.

BRIDE'S MOTHER

To you I entrust her, my son-in-law,

I entrust her my daughter dear.

CHORUS

Let her sew her linen, food you shall give her and clothe her,

Give her to eat and to drink,

And set her to work, you feed her and clothe her and bid her work.

You saw the logs, Ask again. (clap,)

Love her and shake her like a pear tree and love her.

They are come our nobles, fill the flowing goblets,

Round the tables going fill the flowing goblets,

Going round among the guests and toasting Mary.

Drink thou little mother, eat thou Maritovna.

I do not drink, I do not eat, I listen here,

Listen to the nobles as they eat and drink their wine.

If our Simon were here,

o you gay, noisy chatt'ring goose, where have you been?

Noisy goose, where have you been and what did you see there?

A Chinaman? Where have you been, what did you see there?

I have been far away at sea, the blue sea and the lake of blue,

Away upon the sea.

A swan neck'd maiden in the sea was bathing,

washing there her Sunday dress.

A little white swan did you see there and did you see a little white swan.

And how should not I have seen the sea, not I have seen the sea?

How should not I have seen the sea, seen the little swan.

Ay, beneath his wing the swan doth hide his mate.

Two swans, two white swans in the sea were swimming in the sea, two swans.

Ay, and Fetis holds Nastasia right tenderly,

And Fetis holds his bride to him tenderly.

BEST MAN

And you Nastasia, what have you done?

THE BRIDE

I have donn'd a golden belt,

It is plaited with pearls that trail

and hang down to the ground.

CHORUS (best man?)

Now all you who are come to the feast,

Lead the bride in, the bridegroom is waiting, lonely,

Holding a goblet of rare old wine, a rare goblet.

o you merry old rogue, Nastasia's father, you,

He has sold his child for wine, for flowing goblets.

You fair maids, and you pastry-cooks, and you plate-washers,

You good-for-nothing, good-for-nothing, you chatterboxes,

All you lazy wives, you silly Reds, you foolish ones,

And all you naughty ones who are among the wedding guests,

Raise your voices.

CHORUS

Hear the bridegroom saying

'I would sleep now'

And the bride replying

'Take me with you',

Hear the bridegroom saying

'Is the bed narrow?'

And the bride replying

'Not too narrow'.

Hear the bridegroom saying

'How cold are the blankets'

And the bride replying

'They shall warm them'.

'T is to thee Fetis sing we now this little song,

And to the little dove, the white one, to Nastasia, to our Timofeevna, too.

Dost hear us, hearest thou Fetis, dost hear us, Pamfilievitch.

We are honouring you, we sing our song to you.

CHORUS

Do not lie thus by the steep river bank,

Ay, sit down, Savelyouchka,

In a summer house, a wedding prepare now for Fetis.

GUESTS

In the farm-house see

how jolly a feast is held,

Nobles sat at table drinking

honey and wine,

And all the while made speeches,

Merrily, oh merrily, our wedding went truly.

Nine kinds of beer,

the good wife had prepared,

But the tenth is finest, the best of all.

Our Nastasia goes away, to dwell afar-off, in a distant country.

Wisely shall she live there and in happiness let her be submissive, let her be obedient.

She who knows how to be obedient, always is happy.

GUESTS (in turn)

Bow then courteously, both to the old and the young ones.

To the very youngest maidens you must bow lower.

In the garden green there, Fetis stood and look'd

Upon the marks of his Nastasia's feet, his own Nastasia.

A smart young dandy, a dandy went a-walking down the street,

Down the long wide street walking.

On his head he wore a fine furry cap for winter.

My Nastasia walks very quickly and her new little coat,

It is lined with the fur of martens cosily.

FRIENDS

Black her brows and beautiful.

ONE OF THE FRIENDS

Now then, you old man, come and drink a little glass of wine,

Drink a good glass of wine.

Toast the happy married couple, for our married ones need many things,

They want to have a little house increasing their home,

A bath will they build for themselves there.

You come and have a bath, afterwards you will be heated.

So did our married pair begin their happy days together.

Now then! Now then!

Drink to their health, drink and toast our pair.

CHORUS

Drink again, toast the pair, and embrace the two.

This one, this one, this one, this is good, this one even now cost a rouble,

But if you squeeze it in your hand, squeeze it tightly it costs double that.

I don't care, I don't care at all though it costs as much.

Now the river Volga overflows,

And before the gate I hear one calling,

Oh mother dear, my mother dear who calls me.

All you silly maidens tell me

who the maiden was who ruled her true love.

ALL (in turn)

Lovely little bed where I lay me down,

How soft the pillow where I lay my head.

Soft the pillow where I lay my head,

Folded in the soft blankets, folded in the blankets, the blankets warm,

See our Fetis there Pamfilievitch.

The little sparrow makes first his nest, then takes his mate to be with him.

Fetis holds Nastasia and kisses her, his bride,

Kisses her and holds in his hand her little hand.

Holds her hand and presses it upon his heart,

Holds her hand and lays it upon his heart.

Dear heart, little wife, my own dearest treasure,

My sweet, my honey.

Dearest flow'r and treasure of mine, fairest flow'r sweetest wife,

Let us live in happiness so that all men may envy us.

(The curtain falls slowly.)

LES NOCES © Copyright 1922, 2005

Printed with kind permission of

Chester Music Limited, Londres, Royaume Uni.

Traduction anglaise de D. Millar Craig.

LES NOCES

PART I / SCENE I

THE BRIDE'S CHAMBER

THE BRIDE

Tress my tress, O thou fair tress of my hair,

o my little tress.

My mother brush'd thee, mother brush'd thee at evening,

Mother brush'd my tress.

o woe is me, O alas poor me.

BRIDESMAIDS

I comb her tresses her fair golden tresses,

Nastasia's bright hair Timofeevna's fair tresses.

I comb and plait it, with ribbon red I twine it,

I will twine her golden hair.

I comb her fair tresses bright golden tresses,

I comb and I twine Timofeevna's fair tresses,

I bind her tresses I comb them and plait them,

With a fine comb I dress them.

THE BRIDE

Cruel, heartless, came the match-maker,

Pitiless, pitiless cruel one, pitiless cruel one.

She tore my tresses, tore my bright golden hair,

pull'd it tearing it.

She tore my hair that she might plait it in

Two plaits, plaiting it in two.

o woe is me, O alas, poor me.

BRIDESMAIDS

I comb her tresses, her fair golden tresses,

Nastasia's bright hair, Timofeevna's fair tresses,

I comb and plait it, I comb it and bind up her hair,

With a ribbon of bright red, twine it with a ribbon blue.

THE BRIDE

Golden tresses bright, O my tresses fair.

BRIDESMAIDS

Weep not, O dear one, weep not,

Let no grief afflict thee, my dear one,

Weep no more, Nastasia, O weep no longer, my heart, my Timofeevna.

Of your father think, your mother's care,

And of the nightingale in the trees.

Your father-in-law, he will welcome you,

Your mother-in-law will bid you welcome

And tenderly will love you e'en as though you were their own dear child.

Noble Fetis Pamfilievitch, in your garden a nightingale is singing,

In the palace garden all day he whispers cooing notes,

At nightfall hear him singing aloud his song of love.

'T is for you, Nastasia, his Singing, my dear one,

For you alone his singing, for your delight, your happiness,

He shall not disturb you sleeping in time for mass he'll wake you.

Come, come let us make merry from one village to another.

Come, come, dear Nastasia shall be happy,

She must be gay and joyful.

Come!

She should always be of good cheer.

'Neath the little stones a brook flows.

Underneath the stones a little brook is flowing,

Underneath the stones, making loud and happy music.

Loud and gay it sounds like beating drums,

Like beating drums, gaily loudly making music.

So Nastasia Timofeevna, so in marriage do we give thee,

So we give thee.

THE BRIDE AND THE MOTHER

Plait, plait my little tresses,

Plait my hair and bind it with ribbon red,

In plaits bind it tightly,

o plait my hair and bind it with a ribbon red.

o Mary thou Virgin,

come to us and aid us,

come to our aid.

Plait her hair, aid us as we wed her,

Nastasia, fair.

Ah, aid us, unplait her hair,

aid us as we wed her.

BRIDESMAIDS AND THE BRIDE

I twine her tresses, I plait her fair tresses,

I bind the fair hair of my Timofeevna,

I twine her tresses, again I will twine them,

With ribbons entwine it, my Timofeevna,

Once more I comb it and bind it with ribbon,

A ribbon entwin'd about her hair,

Again I will comb Nastasia's fair tresses,

I comb them and twine them, my Timofeevna,

I twine her fair hair, with a ribbon I bind it,

A ribbon of bright red.

Blue a ribbon blue, and ribbon red, bright red, as my own lips are red.

SCENE II

AT THE BRIDEGROOM'S

BRIDEGROOM'S FRIENDS

Virgin Mary, come, come and aid our wedding,

Come, Mary hear our pray'r, aid us as we comb the fair curls of Fetis.

Virgin Mary comb the fair locks of Fetis,

While we comb and brush the curls of Pamfilievitch.

Virgin Mary come.

Wherewith shall we brush and comb and oil the fair locks of Fetis?

Come, come to aid us, O come Virgin Mary,

o come, Mary aid us, uncurl his fair locks.

Quickly le et us to the town and buy some pure, buy some pure olive oil,

And curl his locks, his fair locks.

Come Virgin Mary, come to aid our wedding, aid us now as we uncurl the bridegroom's locks.

Come, O come and aid us to uncurl his fair locks.

Last night, Fetis sat, sat within his house all the while.

PARENTS (in turn)

Last night Pamfilievitch his fair locks sat brushing.

Now to whom to whom will these curls belong?

Now, now, to whom, to whom will these curls belong?

Now they will belong to a rosy lipp'd maiden.

Do they now, now, belong to her, to the tall one,

To Nastasia, to Timofeevna.

Now Nastasia pour oil on them.

Do you pour oil on them;

You, Timofeevna, you pour oil on them.

Oil the fair, the curly locks of Pamfilievitch,

The fair and curly locks.

o the fair, the curly locks of Fetis, the fair and curly locks of Pamfilievitch.

Thy mother curl'd them oft, saying then while she was curling them,

Little son, be you white and rosy cheek'd little son,

My little child, my son.

And another one will curl your locks,

And another one will love you.

Shining locks and curly whose are they?

Shining locks and curly whose are they?

o Pamfilievitch lovely locks curly, the locks of Fetis, well oil'd and lovingly curl'd.

Glory to the father, glory to the mother,

Well have they brought up their wise one obedient, obedient and wise one obedient.

A clever prudent child.

BRIDEGROOM

Let my fair curls be in order,

upon my white face, in order,

And grow used

to my young man's ways,

my habits, my dandy young habits

are usual there.

CHORUS

Ah in Moscow, in the city,

dandy young habits are usual there.

Virgin Mary, come ...

Holy Mother, come to the wedding, to the wedding.

And with Thee, all the holy Apostles.

Come to the wedding, to the wedding.

Now may God bless us, God bless us all,

Come to the wedding,

come to the wedding.

THE BRIDEGROOM

Bless me, my father, my mother, bless me,

Your child who proudly goes

against the strong wall of stone to break it.

See him, Fetis, the noble Fetis there,

See him the noble Fetis,

there to win his bride, his lady.

So the candles are lighted.

We go now to the church

and we kiss there the silver,

To invoke our Lady's blessing.

BEST MAN

All you that come to see

the bride passing by.

did stay to see her ta'en away.

CHORUS

Ah, on his brow to set a golden crown.

See there fades the flow'r too.

Falls a white feather, now the flow'r fades,

Fades the flow'r too, now fades the flow'r,

The feather falleth,

So did Fetis kneel down before his own father,

So did Fetis kneel before his mother graciously,

Asking their blessing upon the son who goes to be married,

And may the saints go with him, guarding him,

May the saints go with him too, and keep him in their care.

Lord, O bless us all from oldest to the youngest children.

Saint Damien bless us also.

Bless us Lord, bless the bride and the bridegroom, bless us also,

The oldest, the youngest, O bless us. Ah!

Bless us, O Lord, and bless now our wedding too,

Bless us, Lord, send Thy blessing upon us all.

Bless us, O bless the father and the mother, sister and brother.

Bless us, O bless the sister and the brother,

Bless us, we pray Thee, bless all who are faithful,

All who fear and love him.

God protect us, aid us now, God be with us now.

Bide with us, abide with us, abide with us now.

Saint Luke, do thou be with us, bless us, Saint Luke, Saint Luke.

Bless our marriage rites we pray thee,

Bless the couple whom thou hast chosen,

Bless the pair Saint Luke bless them whom thou, thou hast chosen;

Grant, O grant thy blessing for always,

And to their children.

SCENE III

THE BRIDE'S DEPARTURE

CHORUS

Brightly shines the moon on high,

beside the glowing sun,

Ev'n so the princess liv'd within the palace happily

beside her aged father and her mother,

Happily beside her father

and her mother dear.

BRIDE

o grant me your blessing,

father, for now I go to a foreign land.

FATHER AND MOTHER

See how bright the candles burn before the Ikon, so I have stood before it long,

So the princess stood awhile and quickly then away she went.

CHORUS

So they gave their blessing to their daughter fair,

So she before her father stood weeping,

And to ev'ry quarter of the world I go.

Holding the ikon, holding bread and salt too,

Holding bread and holding salt too.

Thou Saint Cosmo come with us, Cosmo and Damien, O come with us,

Holy St Cosmo O grant that the wedding may prosper,

Enduring from youth unto age, do thou grant that the wedding may prosper,

Enduring from youth unto age, enduring from youth to old age, to old age.

To the room where the two little doves are sitting,

Two little doves in a small room,

Holy Cosmo and Damien walked about the hall and came back.

To our children even unto them.

In the little room, the happy room, the small room,

There are sitting two little doves.

There is singing, dancing, drinking too.

Tambourines sounding, clashing, cymbals are being played.

Long and happy union grant thou them.

May the wedding endure from their youth, from their youth unto old age and unto their children,

Holy Cosmo and Damien walked about the hall,

They walked about the hall and then they came back.

Virgin Mary, give Thy blessing,

Virgin Mary, Mother of our blest Saviour, grant Thy blessing on this union.

The apostles and all angels, as the hops entwine together,

So our newly married couple cling together,

As one they cling together, as the hops entwine together,

So they cling together, as the hops entwine together.

They two, they two ...

MOTHERS

My own dear one, child of mine, my little one,

Do not leave me, my dear one, little one, child of mine,

Do not leave me my little one, come again to me, my little one.

My own my child, dear child of mine.

Ah, do not leave me lonely, come back, come back, my dear one, my little one,

Child you have forgot, dear one, have forgot the golden keys hanging,

Hanging golden keys hanging there,

My own little child, dear one.

PART II / SCENE IV

THE WEDDING FEAST

CHORUS

Berries two there were on a branch, they fell to the ground,

One berry bows to another berry one.

Ai, louli, louli, louli! Louchenki,ai louli,

A red, a very red one, and a strawberry did ripen,

Ai louchenki, louli.

And one berry to another spoke sweetly,

Close one berry grew to another, close to it,

And one berry represents the noble bridegroom, Fetis,

And the other, Nastasia, 'tis the white one.

So gaily gaily goes he Theodor Tichnovitch,

I found a ring, found a golden ring, ring of gold set with precious stones.

Who comes here so gaily? Palagy stanovitch,

Who is 't comes here so gaily? Palagy stanovitch.

I have lost, lost the golden ring with jewels set, with precious stones.

Oh, oh, poor me, oh, poor Palagy, Oh, poor Palagy no more is gay,

No more is he gay, oh, poor Palagy.

Flying comes a grey, a little goose.

One red berry bows to another red berry,

One red berry spoke to another red berry.

Flying comes a grey, a little goose,

Flying comes a grey goose, little goose, flying comes a grey goose.

Now its wings are beating, its tiny feet are scratching,

Making clouds of dust rise, making all the nobles.

BRIDE'S FATHER

Now behold your wife,

whom God hath given you.

CHORUS

And what did we tell you, dear Nastasia?

Your wife must sew and spin, she must keep the linen and sew and spin the flax white and sew it too.

BRIDE'S MOTHER

To you I entrust her, my son-in-law,

I entrust her my daughter dear.

CHORUS

Let her sew her linen, food you shall give her and clothe her,

Give her to eat and to drink,

And set her to work, you feed her and clothe her and bid her work.

You saw the logs, Ask again. (clap,)

Love her and shake her like a pear tree and love her.

They are come our nobles, fill the flowing goblets,

Round the tables going fill the flowing goblets,

Going round among the guests and toasting Mary.

Drink thou little mother, eat thou Maritovna.

I do not drink, I do not eat, I listen here,

Listen to the nobles as they eat and drink their wine.

If our Simon were here,

o you gay, noisy chatt'ring goose, where have you been?

Noisy goose, where have you been and what did you see there?

A Chinaman? Where have you been, what did you see there?

I have been far away at sea, the blue sea and the lake of blue,

Away upon the sea.

A swan neck'd maiden in the sea was bathing,

washing there her Sunday dress.

A little white swan did you see there and did you see a little white swan.

And how should not I have seen the sea, not I have seen the sea?

How should not I have seen the sea, seen the little swan.

Ay, beneath his wing the swan doth hide his mate.

Two swans, two white swans in the sea were swimming in the sea, two swans.

Ay, and Fetis holds Nastasia right tenderly,

And Fetis holds his bride to him tenderly.

BEST MAN

And you Nastasia, what have you done?

THE BRIDE

I have donn'd a golden belt,

It is plaited with pearls that trail

and hang down to the ground.

CHORUS (best man?)

Now all you who are come to the feast,

Lead the bride in, the bridegroom is waiting, lonely,

Holding a goblet of rare old wine, a rare goblet.

o you merry old rogue, Nastasia's father, you,

He has sold his child for wine, for flowing goblets.

You fair maids, and you pastry-cooks, and you plate-washers,

You good-for-nothing, good-for-nothing, you chatterboxes,

All you lazy wives, you silly Reds, you foolish ones,

And all you naughty ones who are among the wedding guests,

Raise your voices.

CHORUS

Hear the bridegroom saying

'I would sleep now'

And the bride replying

'Take me with you',

Hear the bridegroom saying

'Is the bed narrow?'

And the bride replying

'Not too narrow'.

Hear the bridegroom saying

'How cold are the blankets'

And the bride replying

'They shall warm them'.

'T is to thee Fetis sing we now this little song,

And to the little dove, the white one, to Nastasia, to our Timofeevna, too.

Dost hear us, hearest thou Fetis, dost hear us, Pamfilievitch.

We are honouring you, we sing our song to you.

CHORUS

Do not lie thus by the steep river bank,

Ay, sit down, Savelyouchka,

In a summer house, a wedding prepare now for Fetis.

GUESTS

In the farm-house see

how jolly a feast is held,

Nobles sat at table drinking

honey and wine,

And all the while made speeches,

Merrily, oh merrily, our wedding went truly.

Nine kinds of beer,

the good wife had prepared,

But the tenth is finest, the best of all.

Our Nastasia goes away, to dwell afar-off, in a distant country.

Wisely shall she live there and in happiness let her be submissive, let her be obedient.

She who knows how to be obedient, always is happy.

GUESTS (in turn)

Bow then courteously, both to the old and the young ones.

To the very youngest maidens you must bow lower.

In the garden green there, Fetis stood and look'd

Upon the marks of his Nastasia's feet, his own Nastasia.

A smart young dandy, a dandy went a-walking down the street,

Down the long wide street walking.

On his head he wore a fine furry cap for winter.

My Nastasia walks very quickly and her new little coat,

It is lined with the fur of martens cosily.

FRIENDS

Black her brows and beautiful.

ONE OF THE FRIENDS

Now then, you old man, come and drink a little glass of wine,

Drink a good glass of wine.

Toast the happy married couple, for our married ones need many things,

They want to have a little house increasing their home,

A bath will they build for themselves there.

You come and have a bath, afterwards you will be heated.

So did our married pair begin their happy days together.

Now then! Now then!

Drink to their health, drink and toast our pair.

CHORUS

Drink again, toast the pair, and embrace the two.

This one, this one, this one, this is good, this one even now cost a rouble,

But if you squeeze it in your hand, squeeze it tightly it costs double that.

I don't care, I don't care at all though it costs as much.

Now the river Volga overflows,

And before the gate I hear one calling,

Oh mother dear, my mother dear who calls me.

All you silly maidens tell me

who the maiden was who ruled her true love.

ALL (in turn)

Lovely little bed where I lay me down,

How soft the pillow where I lay my head.

Soft the pillow where I lay my head,

Folded in the soft blankets, folded in the blankets, the blankets warm,

See our Fetis there Pamfilievitch.

The little sparrow makes first his nest, then takes his mate to be with him.

Fetis holds Nastasia and kisses her, his bride,

Kisses her and holds in his hand her little hand.

Holds her hand and presses it upon his heart,

Holds her hand and lays it upon his heart.

Dear heart, little wife, my own dearest treasure,

My sweet, my honey.

Dearest flow'r and treasure of mine, fairest flow'r sweetest wife,

Let us live in happiness so that all men may envy us.

(The curtain falls slowly.)

LES NOCES © Copyright 1922, 2005

Printed with kind permission of

Chester Music Limited, Londres, Royaume Uni.

Traduction anglaise de D. Millar Craig.