M.A. Balakirev: Tamara
Moscow symphony Orchestra
Alexander Anissimov



Within the deep Darial canyon
That harbors the Terek’s thick mist,
A time-worn old tower was standing:
A dark shape among the dark cliffs.

Within that confining, tall tower
Resided Tamara the Queen:
Angelic in beauty and glamour,
Demonic in slyness and schemes.

And there in the silence of nightfall,
The thick mists were pierced by a light
That tickled a traveler’s eye, while
It bade him to rest for the night.

Tamara’s voice called from the tower –
What rapture there was in her speech!
An incomprehensible power
Took hold of all men whom it reached.

And to the elusive enchantress
The shepherd, the merchant - all went:
The door opened way to the fortress;
A grim eunuch took the guest's hand.

She lay on a soft bed of feathers
With gold-cloth and pearls bedecked
To wait for her guest, and beside her
Two goblets of wine effervesced.

The feverish mouths stuck together,
The passionate hands intertwined.
Cacophonous sounds, harsh and feral,
Rang out while the moon ruled the sky.

It seemed that the near-empty tower
Housed dozens of young men and wives
Who came to their wedding night vowing
To have the best time of their lives.

But then the dawn’s radiant brightness
Illumined the cliffs with its rays,
And promptly a desolate silence
Again gained control of the place.

And only the staunch Terek’s murmur
Unsettled the stillness a bit:
Each wave overtook its precursor;
Each wave quelled the bold one ahead;

And, weeping, they hastily shouldered
The body that no longer lived;
A soft white shape showed in the window,
And then came the words “Please forgive!”

And that farewell call was so tender;
That voice was so lovely and true:
It promised a love to remember
And joys of a new rendezvous.
(M. Lermontov)

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