“Okrasilsya Mesyac Bagryancem”: A Literary Text in Oral Tradition

Folkloristics 9/2 (2024): 59–72
Author: Marina M. Kuznjecova
Text:

In 1884, a translation of A. von Chamisso’s poem by Dmitry Minaev was published in the journal Zhivopisnoe obozrenie under the title “Nochnaya progulka.” Already in 1910, the poem was actively used in the form of a song, recorded in songbooks and on records. To date, the song has been actively performed, but with a different set of verses. The article examines the transformation of the song from 1910 to 2012 and the role of “mishearing” in this process. The material comprises of the recordings of gramophone records, lyrics of songbooks, archival recordings, as well as performances by contemporary performers.

Keywords: urban romance, “Okrasilsya mesyac bagryancem”, text transformation, mishearing.