This song is part of a popular Russian animation from the 1980s. The film that you can watch by clicking the link below is a cover version. It uses animated pictures created by young students of an art school in Kiev, Ukraine. It tells in a lighthearted manner about three genres of painting – still life, landscape and portrait. Learners of Russian will find it to be an enjoyable tool for learning or reinforcing many common Russian nouns. The song is especially useful for work on the Russian accusative case. The fun images, visualizing the words of the song, will delight you while helping you remember the new words.
The Original Title
О картинах
The Literal Title
About Paintings
A More "poetic" title
Information about the song and singer
This song is part of a popular Russian animation from the 1980s. It tells in a lighthearted manner about three genres of painting – still life, landscape and portrait. Learners of Russian will find it to be an enjoyable tool for learning or reinforcing many common Russian nouns. This song is especially useful for work on the Accusative case. The fun images visualizing the words of the song will delight you while helping you remember the new words.
First, watch the film for fun. Play it again to hear the song and follow the lyrics on our page. The parallel literal translation to English will help you understand it. Watch again and try to sing along without looking at the words.
The Original Song
Или е́ль и бе́лый и́ней, и́ли сад и облака́,
Или сне́жная равни́на, или по́ле и шала́ш,
Обяза́тельно карти́на называ́ется пейза́ж.
Е́сли ви́дишь на карти́не ча́шку ко́фе на столе́,
Или мо́рс в большо́м графи́не, или ро́зу
в хрустале́
Или бро́нзовую ва́зу, и́ли гру́ши, и́ли то́рт,
Или все предме́ты сра́зу, знай, что э́то натюрмо́рт.
Е́сли ви́дишь, что с карти́ны
Смо́трит кто́-нибудь на нас,
Или принц в плаще́ стари́нном,
Или в ро́бе верхола́з,
Лётчик или балери́на, или Ко́лька, твой сосе́д,
Обяза́тельно карти́на называ́ется...Буфет!
Не буфе́т, а портре́т!
A Literal Translation
Or a fir-tree and white frost, or a garden and clouds
Or a snowy plane, or a field and a hut
No doubt the picture is called a landscape..
If you see in a picture a cup of coffee on a table,
Or some juice in a big flagon, or a rose
in a cut glass,
Or a bronze vase, or some pears or a cake,
Or all the objects at once- you should know it's a still- life.
If you see that from a picture
Someone is looking at us
Either a prince in an ancient cloak,
Or a steeplejack wearing a robe
A pilot or a ballet dancer, or your neighbor Kolka
No doubt the painting is called... A cupboard!
Not a cupboard, but a portrait!
A More "Poetic" Translation
*
** Another reference
An Audio Link
A Video Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PvbAIHkBug
A Picture to Display
