Человек без Имени (Нау) / Man without a Name (Nautilus)

I planned to translate the song "Diamon Roads" next, but the "Man without a Name" suddenly because it got stuck in my head for several days.

Человек без Имени (Наутилус, 1989)

Всего золота мира мало, чтобы купить тебе счастье,
Всех замков и банков не хватит, чтобы вместить твои страсти.
Невозмутимый странник, не устрашенный адом.
Ты - человек без имени, мне страшно с тобою рядом.
Ты проснулся сегодня рано и вышел на большую дорогу,
И тотчас все ракетные части объявили боевую тревогу.
И если случится комета, ты ее остановишь взглядом.
Ты - человек без имени, я счастлив с тобою рядом.


Возьми меня, возьми
На край земли.
От крысиных бегов,
От мышиной возни.
И если есть этот край,
Мы с него прыгнем вниз.
Пока мы будем лететь, мы будем лететь,
Мы забудем эту жизнь.


Всех женщин мира не хватит, чтобы принять твои ласки,
Всем стрелам и пулям армий ты подставишь себя без опаски.
Непокоренный пленник, не замечающий стражи.
Ты - человек без имени, нагой человек без поклажи.



Возьми меня, возьми на край земли.
От крысиных бегов, от мышиной возни.
И если есть этот край, мы с него прыгнем вниз.
Пока мы будем лететь, мы будем лететь, мы забудем эту жизнь



My word-for-word translation

Man without a Name (Nautilus Pompilius, 1989)

All gold of this world is not enough to buy you happiness.
All banks and forteresses are not enough to contain your passions.
You are aт imperturbable stranger who is not afraid of hell.
You are the man without a name, and I am terrified to be near you.
You woke up early today and walked outside,
And immediately all the air bases went on the red alert.
And if the comet will be falling, you will stop it with your gaze.
You are the man without a name, and I am blessed to be near you.


Please, take me along with you to the edge of the worlds,
To escape this rat race and these mice fights.
And if we find this edge, we will jump off
And while we will be falling, falling, we will forget this life.


All women of the world are not enough to han dle all your love,
And all the arrows and bullets of the world you will walk forward to without fear.
You are an unbowed prisoner who does not bother to notice his guards.
You are the man without a name, a naked man without any baggage.


Please, take me along with you to the edge of the worlds,
To escape this rat race and these mice fights.
And if we find this edge, we will jump off
And while we will be falling, falling, we will forget this life.

Как Падший Ангел (Наутилус) / Like a Fallen Angel (Nautilus) - 1st draft

I dreamed of dogs that swarmed me, like flies,
I dreamed that beasts with eyes, full of rage,
Tore into my wings as I reached the sky,
And I tumbled down like a fallen angel.

Don't remember the fall; I only remember
The sounds of crash against the stone shell.
Have I risen so high just to surrender,
And plunge to the Earth, like a fallen angel?

            Chorus:
   Falling down
   To Earth whose laws we knew well and whom we have tried to defy;
   Falling down
   To Earth from where we gazed for so long into the sky...
   Falling down....

I was striving to be noble and fair,
And I didn't think it disgusting or strange
That crowds of people with blankets and chairs
Were coming to see the fall of an angel.

And gray flakes came down, like sand in the storm,
Either bitter, like manna, or sweet, like sage,
And soft like the feathers that were torn
From the broken wings of the fallen angel.


            Chorus:
   Falling down
   To Earth whose laws we knew well and whom we have tried to defy;
   Falling down
   To Earth from where we gazed for so long into the sky...
   Falling down
   To Earth whose laws we knew well and whom we have tried to defy;
   Falling down
   To Earth from where we gazed for so long into the sky...

   Falling down....

Как Падший Ангел (Наутилус) / Like a Fallen Angel (Nautilus)

I have been meaning to translate this song for a while now.. It is one of my favorite Russian rock songs by Nautilus Pompilius, a Russian rock group of the 1980s-1990s. They are still active, but I like their old albums the best and plan to translate quite a few songs from there.

Original text

Как Падший Ангел (Наутилус) / Like a Fallen Angel (Nautilus)


Мне снятся собаки, мне снятся звери.
Мне снится, что твари с глазами как лампы,
Вцепились мне в крылья у самого неба
И я рухнул нелепо, как падший ангел.

Я не помню паденья, я помню только
Глухой удар о холодные камни.
Неужели я мог залететь так высоко
И сорваться жестоко, как падший ангел.


Прямо вниз.
Туда, откуда мы вышли в надежде на новую жизнь.
Прямо вниз.
Туда, откуда мы жадно смотрели на синюю высь.
Прямо вниз.


Я пытался быть справедливым и добрым
И мне не казалось не страшным, ни странным,
Что внизу на земле собираются толпы
Пришедших смотреть, как падает ангел.

И в открытые рты наметает ветром
То ли белый снег, то ли сладкую манну,
То ли просто перья, летящие следом
За сорвавшимся вниз, словно падший ангел.


Прямо вниз.
Туда, откуда мы вышли в надежде на новую жизнь.
Прямо вниз.
Туда, откуда мы жадно смотрели на синюю высь.
Прямо вниз.
Туда, откуда мы вышли в надежде на новую жизнь.
Прямо вниз.
Туда, откуда мы жадно смотрели на синюю высь.
Прямо вниз.




Word-for-word translation

I dream about dogs, I dream about animals,
I dream about beasts with eyes like lamps
Sank their claws into my wings right next to the sky
And I fallen awkawardly, like a fallen angel.

I can't remember the fall, I remember only
A muffled sound of crash against the cold stones
Could I have soared so high,
And to plunge so fast, like a fallen angel?

Chorus:
Straight down,
From where we left, hoping for a better life?
Straight down,
From where we looked up in to the blue sky.


And I have tried to be fair and kind,
And I didn't think it was scare or odd
That there, on the ground, the crowds are gathering.
They are coming to see the fall of an angel.

And the wind is blowing into their hanging months
Something looking like white snow or the sweet manna,
Or maybe just the feathers, slowling falling down
After the one who fell down, like a fallen angel.



Chorus:
Straight down,
From where we left, hoping for a better life?
Straight down,
From where we looked up in to the blue sky.

Закрой за мной дверь.. (Цой) / I am leaving, close the door... (Tzoy)

This song actually popped into my head today and it is so short, that I thought it would not take long to translate it. And I was right, it was a very easy song, it kind of almost wrote itself in the time frame of less than 30 minutes, I think.

Victor Tzoy (the singer) is one of my favorite originial Russian rock singers.

Закрой за мной дверь...  (В. Цой)

Они говорят: им нельзя рисковать,
Потому что у них есть дом, в доме горит свет.
И я не знаю точно, кто из нас прав,
Меня ждет на улице дождь, их ждет дома обед.

Закрой за мной дверь. Я ухожу.
Закрой за мной дверь. Я ухожу.

И если тебе вдруг наскучит твой ласковый свет,
Тебе найдется место у нас, дождя хватит на всех.
Посмотри на часы, Посмотри на портрет на стене,
Прислушайся - там, за окном, ты услышишь наш смех.

Закрой за мной дверь. Я ухожу.
Закрой за мной дверь. Я ухожу...

Word for word translation:

Close the door behind me, I am leaving (Victor Tzoy)

They say that they cannot take a chance,

Because they have a home, and the light is shigning in their home.

And I do not know who is right and who is wrong,

The rain waits me outside, the dinner waits them inside.

Close the door behind me, I am leaving.

Close the door behind me, I am leaving.

And if suddenly you will get bored with your gentle light,

There is a place for you outside, there is enough rain for everyone.

Look at the clock and on the portret on the wall,

And listen - your will hear us laughing outside.

Close the door behind me, I am leaving.

Close the door behind me, I am leaving.

My version 1:

They say that they cannot take a chance

Because they have a home and a gentle light of a night lamp.

And I cannot tell who is right who is wrong,

The rain waits for me outside; the dinner waits for them home.

I am leaving, close the door...

I am leaving, close the door....

And if you get bored with your gentle light,

There is enough rain for us all, enough place outside.

Look at the paintings and look at your clock on the wall,

And listen - there on the street it's the song of your soul.

I am leaving, close the door...

I am leaving, close the door....

I am leaving, close the door...

I am leaving, close the door....

The spilled tear (P. Agureeva) / Пролитую слезу (П. Агуреева)

I know that I planned to do the the Fallen Angel next, but this song has caught my eye just recently. I watched the movie "Isaev" about 2 years ago and liked it alot, but I don't remember hearing that song there. But now that I have heard it, I think it is a very lovely song. Here it is.

Пролитую слезу (слова: Иосиф Бродский, вокал -  Полина Агуреева, к.ф. "Исаев")

The spilled tear (lyrics: Yosiph Brodskiy; vocals - Polina Agureeva, clip from the Russian movie "Isaev" )

"пролитую слезу
из будущего привезу,
вставлю ее в колечко.
Будешь глядеть одна,
надевай его на
безымянный, конечно."

"Ах, у других мужья,
перстеньки из рыжья,
серьги из перламутра.
А у меня - слеза,
жидкая бирюза,
просыхает под утро."

"Носи перстенек, пока
виден издалека;
потом другой подберется.
А надоест хранить,
будет что уронить
ночью на дно колодца."

My word-for-word translation:

The spilled tear
I will bring from the future,
And put it into my ring.
When looking at it by yourself,
Place it on
The ring finger, of course.

Oh, the others have husbands,
Golden rings,
Peal ear rings.
And I have my tear,
Liquid turquoise,
And it dries up by morning.

Wear this ring, it is still
Can be seen from afar.
We will find another one later.
And if you get tired of keeping it,
You will have something to drop
To the bottom of the well at night.

My version #1

My spilled tear
From the last year,
Put it into a ring.
When you are alone
Go ahead, put it on,
On your ring finger.

Others have husbands,
Gold wedding bands,
Earrings with white pearls.
And I have a tear,
Sparkling little dear,
Drying on my curls.

Wear this ring until
The heart is soft, like steel,
On the past do not dwell.
And if you so decide
Drop it one night
To the bottom of the well.

Others have husbands,
Gold wedding bands,
Earrings with white pearls.
And I have a tear,
Sparkling little dear,
Drying on my curls.

My spilled tear
From the last year,
Put it into a ring.
When you are alone
Go ahead, put it on,
On your ring finger.

Полковнику никто не пишет (Би-2) / No One Writes to the Colonel (BI-2)

This song has been bugging me for a long time. It is so dark and sad, but mesmerizing in a strange sort of way.

The structure of the song is difficult because of it's simplicity. Most sentences have 2-4 words in them (in their original language), and the sentences don't really connect with one another grammatically. Images come through mangled and incomplete, but very intense. I am trying to replicate the same feeling in English if I can.

No one writes to the Colonel (lyrics and vocals - Russian rock band BI-2;  clip from the movie Brother-2 (Брат-2))

The original in Russian:


Большие города,
Пустые поезда,
Ни берега, ни дна
Всё начинать сначала.
Холодная война
И время, как вода,
Он не сошёл с ума,
Ты ничего не знала...

Полковнику никто
Не пишет,
Полковника никто
Не ждёт...

На линии огня
Пустые города,
В которых никогда
Ты раньше не бывала.
И рвутся поезда
На тонкие слова,
Он не сошёл с ума,
Ты ничего не знала...

Полковнику никто
Не пишет,
Полковника никто
Не ждёт...


The word-for-word translation:


Large cities,
Empty trains,
Neither shore, nor water
All needs to be started over
The Cold War
And the time is like water
He didn't loose your mind,
She didn't know anything.


No one writes 
To the Colonel,
No one waits 
For the Colonel.

In the line of fire
Are the empty cities
In which you have never
Been before
And the trains are ripping through 
Like thin words
He didn't lose his mind
She didn't know anything

No one writes 
To the Colonel,
No one waits 
For the Colonel.




First draft of my version:

The sprawling city veins,
Unlit and empty trains,
Not start and not the end,
Not water, not the land.
The steps of this cold war,
The beauty and the gore,
All things she didn't know,
Oh, where did it go?

No one writes to the Colonel
No  one waits for the Colonel


The cross-hairs of his eyes
Are on the burning skies
Above the empty screen
Of worlds she's never seen.
Exploding silver trains
Collapsing city veins,
All things she didn't know,
Oh, where did it go?

No one writes to the Colonel
No  one waits for the Colonel

Королевна (Мельница) / Queen (Melnitsa) - my version, 2nd draft

Here is my latest drafts of the song - with very minor changes, mainly in verse 7.

1)

I sang about battles, wars, and pride,

I sang about glory and despair.

But while my falcon was by my side

It's cries rang to me like a prayer.

2)

But it flew away a year ago -

The pain of the heart that I have not known.
Was taken from me the dearest friend

By a magic wind of a far away land.

3)

The cold waves beat the tired shore

And dance, and dance the rays of sun

But I am only looking for

The eyes the shade of a gentian.

4)

If I could have the eyes of a falcon,

If I could only fly, like a falcon,

Toward the distant falcon land

To which it has gone from my hand.

5)

Make me faster than the light,

Turn into my soul, my bird,

Every night I dream of a flight,

The troubled skies over the fjords.

6)

Silk adorns your sleeves, my queen,

Sun adorns the hills with glow

In the land where I have never been,

Or if I have, then just to find my sorrow.

7)

I want to know all that was

Not for you and not for me.

Useless like a shattered glass,

I tumble like a fallen leaf.

8)

Like others have paid for my song with gold,

You pay with coins of your full moon.

In the dreamy land of ancient colds

You are warmer than May, you are warmer than May, you are warmer than May, sweeter than June...

9)

Open your eyes, lovely queen,

Rise, awaken from your dream.

Let's fly into stormy skies,

Thunder rolls your shrieking cries.

10)

Silk adorns your sleeves, my queen,

Gold adorns your velvet feathers,

And I laugh in my dream

Where we soar and fall together.

11)

Come and step into my sight,

Young queen of the falconkind,

Your eyes I see every night,

And every morning I wake up blind.

12)

Silk adorns your sleeves, my queen,

Strands of moon adorn the rain,

Carry me away, northern wind,

To that land of dreams and pain

13)

It hurts to know all that was

Not for you and not for me.

Time has come, and time has passed,

But my heart cannot go free.

14)

My dreams of you are sweet like wine,

But the land of falcons is not my own,

And I will sing for you one more time

But I will leave, but I will leave, but I will leave at the break of dawn.

15)

Fragile are your frozen dreams, my queen,

When will spring bring forth ancient greens?

One last time for me to sing,

One last time to touch your wings..

Open your eyes, lovely queen,

Rise, awaken from your dream...

16)

Don't I know all that was

Not for you and not for me?

And cuts deep into my eyes

Shadow darker than the sea.

17)

Like others have paid for my song with gold,

You pay with full moon.

I'd follow you to the edge of the world,

But do you exist, except in my runes?

Like others have paid with gold,

You pay with full moon.

I'd follow you to the edge of the world,

But do you exist, but do you exist, but do you exist, except in my runes?