In 1968, Iosif Andriasov composed the “Lullaby” for Soprano and Piano, poetry by Mikhail Sadovsky. In 1970, Mr. Andriasov included the “Lullaby,” together with his other songs, into the Goosel’ki collection. This collection consisted of songs and poetry for children in preschool and young age, poetry by Mikhail Sadovsky, and music of Iosif Andriasov. The Goosel’ki were published by the “Sovetsky Kompozitor” Publishing House. In 1980, Iosif Andriasov revised the “Lullaby” and changed the poetry of M. Sadovsky to the poetry of Alexander Blok. The text of the “Lullaby” by A. Blok represents a specific poetical tradition in the Russian lullaby literary genre, in which the motif of a sleeping child is conjoined with a motif of a fairy tale.
В небе звёздочки горят, In the sky, little stars are shining bright,
В речке струйки говорят, In the river, little streams speak,
К нам в окно луна глядит, The moon is peeking into our window,
Малым детям спать велит: Telling little children to go to sleep:
“Спите, спите, поздний час, “Sleep, sleep, it is late,
Завтра брат разбудит вас. My brother will wake you tomorrow.
Братний в золоте кафтан, Brother’s caftan *) is laid in gold,
В серебре мой сарафан. My sarafan **) is laid in silver.
А под вечер брат уснёт, But my brother will fall asleep by the evening,
И меня гулять пошлёт. And will send me out for a stroll.
Сладкий сон вам пошлю, I will send you a sweet dream,
Тихой сказкой усыплю. And will lull you with a quiet fairy-tale.
Сказку сонную скажу, I will tell you a sleepy fairy-tale,
Как детей сторожу… How I keep watch over children…
Спите, спите, спать пора. Sleep, sleep, it is time to sleep.
Детям спится до утра…” Children sleep till morning…”
*) Caftan is a kind of the Russian coat.
**) Sarafan is a kind of the Russian dress.
