A BALLAD ABOUT THE STRUGGLE by Vladimir Vysotsky

Одна из песен, написанных в 1975 г. для художественного фильма «Стрелы Робин Гуда». При жизни автора из фильма были изъяты. Уже после смерти Высоцкого, в 1983 году, часть из них вошла в фильм «Баллада о доблестном рыцаре Айвенго», а в 1997 году в восстановленную редакцию фильма «Стрелы Робин Гуда».
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Ballad of valiant knight Ivanhoe (Russian: Баллада о доблестном рыцаре Айвенго) is a Soviet 1983 film, based on the novel by Sir Walter Scott. 9th place in Soviet box office distribution of 1983 - 28.4 mln viewers. Filming location - Khotyn Fortress. A number of songs in the film were performed by Vladimir Vysotsky.
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Vladimir Vysotsky

A BALLAD ABOUT THE STRUGGLE

The word-for-word translation by
© Nellie Tkach.

Among the melting candles and evening prayer,
Among the trophies of war and the peace time bonfires,
Lived the bookish children, not knowing battle,
Pining away in their small catastrophes.

To children, age and life
are eternally vexing
And we fought until scratched,
to death insults,
But our mothers patched
our garments in time,
While we devoured books,
drunk from the lines.

Those locks of ours stuck to the sweaty foreheads,
Phrases filled the pits of our bellies with sweet heaving,
And the scent of struggle turned our heads,
Flowing down from the yellowed pages.

And we, not knowing war,
tried to grasp,
Mistaking a wail
for the war cry, -
The mystery of the word "order",
The purpose of borders,
The meaning of assault
and rattle of war chariots.

In the bubbling kettles of gone pillages and turbulences,
There is so much nurture for our little minds!
In our childish games we placed our enemies
In roles of renegades, cowards, judases.

We didn't rest
until the evil ceased,
We swore our love
to the fair dames,
And reassuring our friends
And loving our fellow men
We led ourselves
into the hero roles.

But you can't hide away in dreams until the end of time,
The play's day is short, for there is so much pain around!
Try to soften the clench of the palms of the dead,
And take over the weapon from the toil-worn hands.

See, seizing
a still warm sword,
And clothed in armor -
What is what, what is what!
Find out who are you -
A coward,
Or the minion of fortune,
And taste the real battle.

And when a wounded friend will fall before you,
And you will scream in grief over your first loss,
And when you will be left at your wit's end
Because not you, but he was killed, -

You will see what you've learned,
Recognized, found out
By the grin of the guise -
That's the death barred grin!
Lie and evil - look at them -
How crude are their faces,
And always left behind
Are carrion crows and coffins!

If you didn't eat a measly piece
of meat from the knife,
If, your hands folded,
you watched from your own spot
And didn't battle
a scoundrel, a tyrant,
Then you were in life
for no reason at all!

If hewing your way through with father's sword
You didn't forget the salty tears,
If in a fiery battle you felt the how and why of things,
Then you read the right books!

http://www.wysotsky.com/1033.htm?349

Find all translations of this song:
http://www.wysotsky.com/0002/000.asp?n=054

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Soviet
• film
• Ballad
• knight
• Ivanhoe
• Vysotsky
• struggle
• battle
• Robin
• Hood
• Баллада
• о
• борьбе
• Айвенго
• Робин
• Гуд
• Высоцкий

[ksendzsurala]

An assault on the castle Front-de-Boeuf -

Штурм замка Фрон-де-Бефа.

[yokanga77]

1. In the candle-light and among prayers at night, Among trophies of war and serene peaceful fires, Children lived steeped in books, far from crude, real-life fights, By their childish mishaps mortified. Somehow kids always feel A disgust with their age, And in fights we would spill Hidden hurt and dark rage. But our mothers would mend Those patched-up rags of ours, While our hearts would be rent By the books we devoured.

[yokanga77]

2. Then our foreheads would suddenly glisten with sweat, We would feel as if endlessly falling through space, As the rumble of battle turned our little heads And we breathed in the smell of old dust and suspense. We whod seen no wars fought, Either big ones or small (Someone howled - and we thought: What a brave, daring call). We would try to divine The deep meaning of orders, Of attacks, skirmish lines, And the purpose of borders.

[Nushika9]

Part VI

" You would use in your battles the good father's sword,

Pouring moisture of tears to grow up mustache,

You would fight in heat of battles, without a word,

While forgetting your own wounds and aches. But, if you never eat meat, Using only your knife, If from safest seat, You'd watch own life. If you never want to fight Bastards, traitors or Judas, Then the books weren't right, Which you read in childhood!

"

[Nushika9]

Part V

"And, if nearby is killed the best of your friends,

And you hail in tears at this defeat.

At first time in your life you'd then understand

That it's better, if you've been there killed! You'd see then main face Of the evil, which is rude. Death would keep its traces, Steeling your friends for good. Lies and evilness'd be together (Recognize their names). See, behind them - ravens, Tears, widows, and graves!

"

[Nushika9]

Part IV

"But one can't forever keep the Fortune,

While being hidden in the books' Dreamland.

We should help fallen there good soldiers,

Taking weapons from their dead hands! You can try then fast. With hot sword in your hand And steel armor on chest Old wars' sense to understand! You can then understand Who you, yourself, are. Are you coward or friend Of the bravest ones?

"

[Nushika9]

Part III

"Boiled water of old battles was shroud.

So much food for our greedy small brains.

On the parts of bastards, traitors, and Judas

In our children's games we assigned enemies. In the speediest race For high honors and prize Had lost trace of the evil We never ever, even once! Goodness was our pole, Love and friendship-hard shells, And on heroes' roles We assigned ourselves!

"

[Nushika9]

Part II

".Sweat glued hair on our burning foreheads

Butterflies were in stomachs from words.

Span our heads from what these words meant

In romantics of greatest battles and swords. Tried we to understand (Although being born too late) Who was to battle sent, And why was it his fate?. Sense of the word-'order', Meaning of order-'attack'. Why the land had the boarders. Who was right, what was tank?

"

[Nushika9]

Part I

The Ballad About Struggles

Among burnt down candles and prayers

Among rest of wars' spoils and fires in yards

Lived book loving children of our parents,

Who were always fighting their own wars. Children always suffer That they - not yet adults, And we fought even tougher, And we got real wounds. But repaired our trousers Mothers always in time. We read books by hundreds, Being drunk like from wine!

".

[Nushika9]

This is another song for this movie. The English translation is in the details of this video above. I think that my translation of this Song of Free Archers is better than other translations, but you-the audience should be the judges. Thank you for attention!

[Dilshodzone]

Ogromniy respekt i nizkiy poklon!

[Wannarocks]

Story by Walter Scott in old russian film. Thanks for translate lirycs on english, it really nice.

[elenamour2001]

Doloi Smert!

Da zdravstvyet Chestj, Zhizn i Lubov.