Mikhail Glinka's (1804-57) first foray into the song genre, called романс (romance), was in 1824 with Konstantin Bakhturin’s (1809-41) translation of
an excerpt from Rokeby by Sir Walter Scott. Rokeby, a narrative poem written in 1813, occurs during the English Civil War and follows the feuds and attempts at murder between the Wycliffe and Rokeby families. Bakhturin’s translation comes from the fifth canto, which author, Thomas P.
Hodge calls a “minstrel’s elegy depicting music […] as the only solace in a life fraught with disillusionment” (Hodge, 106). Bakhturin’s translation diverges from Scott’s original poetry, but still includes the themes of disillusionment and longing for the past.
Both the translation and Glinka’s composition were completed in November 1824 in St. Petersburg, Russia. This composition is the only surviving material
from a proposed operatic adaptation of Scott’s epic poem having been written down from memory in 1855 (Roger, 207). During the time of composition, St. Petersburg was also struck by the worst flood ever recorded. The flood waters rose up to nearly 14 feet tall (4.21m), killing hundreds of people. The Great Flood of 1824 served as inspiration for Alexander Pushkin’s poem, The Bronze Horseman. It is possible that Bakhturin also was inspired to provide his own commentary on the events, as shown by his inclusion of the peaceful Thames—an image not evoked in the original poetry—which was forsaken along with other pleasures of youth.