Russian song of the week

I like it, Alla Pugacheva (1976)

Мне нравится, Алла Пугачева (1976)

“I like that you are not in love with me, I like that I am not in love with you …” is a poem by Marina Tsvetaeva, written on May 3, 1915. It is considered one of the treasures of Russian literature of the Silver Age.

In 1980, the sister of the poetess Anastasia Tsvetaeva told a very interesting story about this poem. According to her, Marina Tsvetaeva dedicated these soulful lines to the second husband of Anastasia – Mauritius Mints. In 1915, both sisters had already managed to get married, but their marriages were unsuccessful. According to the memoirs of Anastasia, Mauritius met her through mutual friends, and they spent together almost the whole day. They noticed a lot in common, shared interests, and Mints, amazed by the beauty of Anastasia Tsvetaeva, proposed to her. But this was not the last Tsvetaeva which will make a strong impression on him. The next pleasant meeting was with Marina. Mauritius Mintz was not only amazed at the talent of the 22-year-old poetess, but also considered her very attractive and showed signs of attention.

It was not easy for Marina to hide mutual sympathy for her sister’s fiance, and there were even rumors between people about who in love with whom in the Tsvetaev family. Therefore, the poem “I like …” was a kind of poetic response to the rumors and gossip of friends. However, sympathy did not develop into love, since at that time the sister was engaged to Mauritius.

Marina Tsvetaeva gracefully, easily and femininely elegantly put an end to this story, although she admitted to her sister that she was passionate about her fiance.

Anastasia until her death was sure that her sister showed nobility. After all, Marina was one of the most promising representatives of Russian literature of the first half of the 20th century and could win the heart of any man.

The marriage between Anastasia and Mauritius lasted only 2 years. The man to whom the poem was dedicated died in Moscow on May 24, 1917 from an attack of acute appendicitis, and his widow never got married anymore.

On January 1, 1976, the film “The Irony of Fate or Enjoy Your Bath” was shown on the screens of Soviet TVs, where the heroine of the movie sings a song based on this poem by Marina Tsvetaeva. In reality, the song was performed not by the actress herself, but by the already popular at that time singer Alla Pugacheva.

The song was loved by the audience and has since been sung by many performers.

Lyrics and translation

  • Мне нра́вится, что вы больны́ не мной,
    Мне нра́вится, что я больна́ не ва́ми,
    Что никогда́ тяжёлый шар земно́й
    Не уплывёт под на́шими нога́ми.
    Мне нра́вится, что мо́жно быть смешно́й -
    Распу́щенной - и не игра́ть слова́ми,
    И не красне́ть уду́шливой волно́й,
    Слегка́ соприкосну́вшись рукава́ми.

  • I like it that you are not in love with me,
    I like it that I am not in love with you,
    That the heavy globe of Earth,
    Will never drift beneath our feet.
    I like it that I can be funny,
    Loose, and don't have to play with words,
    And I don't blush with suffocating wave
    When our sleeves accidentally touch.

  • Спаси́бо вам и се́рдцем и руко́й
    За то, что вы меня́ - не зна́я са́ми! -
    Так лю́бите: за мой ночно́й поко́й,
    За ре́дкость встреч зака́тными часа́ми,
    За на́ши не-гуля́нья под луно́й,
    За со́лнце, не у нас над голова́ми,-
    За то, что вы больны́ - увы́! - не мной,
    За то, что я больна́ - увы́! - не ва́ми!

  • I thank you, with my heart and my soul
    For that - not knowing yourself -
    You love me so. For my undisturbed sleep,
    For our rare meetings in twilight hours,
    For our not-walking under the moonlight,
    For the sun that's not above our heads,
    For the fact that I - alas! - am not in love with you,
    For the fact that you - alas! - are not in love with me.

Did you find an error? Help us correct it please!
Support Us
Share on