Добрый вечер! Good evening!

1. Добрый вечер!Good evening! Welcome to our first-ever CSS Russian evening. We will begin with some very easy Russian conversation, then proceed to a performance of poetry and song.

2. Давайте поговорим по-русски!Let’s speak Russian! Нет. No. Да. Yes. We will begin with a few words of Russian that everyone can learn. Спасибо. Thank you. Пожалуйста. Please/you’re welcome.

3. Что это?What is this/that? • Это карандаш. (This is a pencil.) • Это ручка. (This is a pen.) • Это книга. (This is a book.) • Это рюкзак. (This is a backpack.) • Это ключ. (This is a key.) • Это очки. (These are glasses.) • Это бумага. (This is paper.) • Это закуски. (These are appetizers.)

4. Что вы делаете? What are you doing? • Я читаю книгу. (I am reading a book.) • Я пишу письмо. (I am writing a letter.) • Я иду в ресторан. (I am going to the restaurant.) • Я ничего не делаю. (I am not doing anything.) • Я сижу и слушаю. (I am sitting and listening.)

5. “A Tiger on the Street”by Daniil Kharmsread by Nicholas Cabello For a long time I wondered where the tiger on the street came from. I thought, thought, thought, thought. Where did that tiger on the street come from? I thought, thought, thought, thought. Just then the wind blew, And I forgot what I was thinking about. So I will never learn Where that tiger on the street came from.

6. Another tale by Daniil Kharmsread by Emiliano Garcia There was a box outside. The beasts came up to the box. They started to look it over, sniff it, and lick it. And suddenly the box—one, two, three—opened up. And out of the box sprang—one, two, three—a snake. The beasts became frightened and ran away. Only the hedgehog wasn’t afraid. It attacked the snake, and—one, two, three—bit it to death. And then it sat on the box and cried out: “cock-a-doodle-doo!”

7. No, that’s not right! The hedgehog cried, “Woof-woof-woof!” No, that’s not it either! The hedgehog cried, “Meow-meow-meow!” No, even that isn’t it! I don’t know what it said. Who knows what sound a hedgehog makes?

8. “You stood before me” by Vasily Zhukovskyread by Jedidiah Nash You stood before me in silence. The sad look in your eyes was full of feeling. It reminded me of the beloved past. It was your last in this world. You departed like a silent angel; your grave is as peaceful as heaven. All earthly memories, all holy thoughts of heaven are there. Stars of the heavens, silent night!

9. “The Rose” by Alexander Pushkinread by Samantha Li Where is our rose, Friends of mine? The rose has faded, Child of the dawn. Do not say: So fades our youth! Do not say: There goes life’s joy! Say to the rose: Farewell, regrets! And then show us Where the lily is.

10. “I loved you” by Alexander Pushkinread by Anthony Garcia I loved you: it may be that love has not completely died in my soul; but let it not trouble you any more; I do not wish to sadden you in any way. I loved you silently, hopelessly, tormented now by diffidence and now by jealousy; I loved you so truly, so tenderly as God may grant you to be loved by another.

11. “The Sail” by Mikhail Lermontovread by Max Paikin A lonely sail is flashing white in the blue mist of the sea. What does it seek in the faraway country? What did it leave behind at home? The waves play, the wind whistles, and the mast bends and creaks... Alas, it seeks not happiness, nor from happiness does it flee. Beneath it, a current of bright azure, above it, a ray of golden sun... And it, rebellious, asks for storm, as if in storms there were peace!

12. “Twelve” by Alexander Bloktranslated by Maria Carlson Black night. White snow. The wind, the wind! Impossible to stay on your feet. The wind, the wind! Blowing across God’s world! The wind swirls round The clean, white snow. Under the snow – there’s ice. It’s slick, it’s hard, Pedestrians Slip – oops! too bad!

13. From building to building Stretches a cable. On the cable’s a placard: “All Power to the Constituent Assembly!” An old woman keens and weeps beneath it, She just can’t understand what it means, Why such a huge scrap of cloth For such a placard? It would make so many footwraps for the boys, So many are without clothes or shoes . . . The old woman, hen-like, Managed somehow to scramble over the snowbank. “Oh, Holy Mother of God, our Protectress! “Oh, those Bolsheviks will put me in my grave!”

14. The wind is biting! The frost tenacious! The bourgeois standing at the crossroads Has tucked his nose into his collar. And who’s this? with long hair And muttering under his breath: “Traitors! “Russia has perished!” It must be a writer – An orator. . .

15. And there’s a figure in a cassock - Sidling behind the snowbank. . . So, not too happy these days, Eh, comrade priest? You remember how once You walked, belly-first, And your cross-bedecked belly Shone on the common people? . . There’s a young lady wrapped in karakul, Walking with another: “And we cried and cried . . . “ She slipped on the ice and – oof! – down she went! Oh, my! Give me your hand, pull me up!

16. The wind is gleeful And mad and glad. It twists coat hems, Mows down passers-by, Tears at, mangles, and tosses The large placard: “All Power to the Constituent Assembly”. . . The wind carries the words: . . . And we, too, held an assembly . . . . . . Here, in this building . . . . . . We debated – We resolved: For an hour, ten rubles; for the whole night – twenty-five . . . . . . And don’t take less from anyone . . . . . . Let’s go to bed . .

17. The evening’s late. The street’s deserted. Only a vagrant Stoops, round-shouldered, And the wind whistles . . . Hey, poor sweetie! Come on over – Give us a kiss . . . Bread! What’s ahead? Move along! Black, black sky. Spite, grievous spite, Boils in the breast . . . Black spite, holy spite . . . Comrade! Keep Both eyes open!

18. Go Home, my Dear Cow Go home, my dear cow, go home, my dear brown cow!     Oh, tilili – my kalina bush, in the garden there's the berry, my raspberry.

19. Katiusha Apple trees and pear trees were blooming, mists were floating over the river, Katyusha went out to the banks, to the high and steep river banks. While she walked she sang a song about a grey eagle of the steppe, about him whom she loved, about him whose letters she saved. Oh, you song, you little song of a girl, follow the bright sun and fly to the warrior in the far foreign country, and bring him greetings from Katyusha. May he remember the simple girl, may he hear how she sings, may he defend their homeland, and Katyusha will preserve their love.

20. Kalinka (chorus) Kalinka, kalinka, kalinka moya. V sadu yagoda malinka, malinka moya. Akh kalinka, kalinka, kalinka moya. V sadu yagoda malinka, malinka moya.

21. Kalinka Under the pine, under the green pine, lay me down to sleep, Ay, Lyuli, Lyuli, ay, Lyuli, Lyuli, lay me down to sleep! Juniper, juniper, my juniper, in the garden there's the raspberry, my raspberry. Beautiful maiden, dear maiden, please fall in love with me. Little kalina, my kalina (a shrub with red berries), in the garden there's a berry, my raspberry.