could never have come out of North America
or anywhere Anglophone -
though it might have come out of France or Germany.
In English it is perversely entitled
Capricious Horses, which is a typical translator's travesty
of the original Untamed, Unruly or possibly Heedless Horses -
though, of course, in English, Heedless is too similar to Headless.
(Some translations crassly put Fastidious !)
Other translations of привередливые (priveredlivye) might be:
impetuous, ungovernable, uncontrolled...
Here is the song by the epic Vladimir Vysotsky,
who was a kind of cross between late Tom Waits and Amalia Rodrigues,
and one of the few great singer-songwriters such as Brel
and Brassens. (Piaf did not write the songs she sang so well.)
And here is my translation:
UNRULY HORSES
Next to infinity, along the cliff-edge,
I whip my wilful horses, urge them on...
I need some air, I'm gulping wind and fog,
and now in fatal rapture: I am leaving, I'm away...
[but]
Slow down, slow down a little, horses!
Slow down a little bit!
Ignore the painful lashes!
- But these horses are so unruly, and so headstrong, -
and so little time remains to me...
I'll try to end my song...
I'll find water for my horses
and will stay a little longer on the edge.
I may die - and the wind will transport me,
And the sleigh will convey me through the morning snow.
Slow down, my wayward horses! Slow down a little -
let me prolong my headlong ride into the void.
Slow down, O my horses! Slow down just a fraction!
Ignore the whip and the whipping..
- But I can't control my horses and I have so little time.
I won't finish my song,
I'll lead them to water, I will finish singing
and stay a little longer on the edge.
We're on time - any time is fine for the Creator.
- but why are those damned angels screaming so ?
Or is it just a harness-bell that's jangling ?
Or is it me just screeching vainly at my beasts ?
Slow down, slow down a bit, my horses,
Please stop this headlong gallop to our doom.
- But my horses are quite heedless...
If it's the end for me, let it not be the end of my song!
I'll lead them to water... I will finish my singing
and stay a little longer on the edge.
How many languages do you know, passively and actively? Impressive!
ReplyDeleteI cannot say that I "know" any language. Spoken/written language is a very poor means of expressing feelings, though it is quite good at producing thought - given that thought is a function of language! There are ways of appreciating songs which are not dependent on language, because the best songs transcend the lyrics. Schubert is a wonderful example. Oum Kalthoum another...then there are Brassens and those guys who put Brecht to music (Weill, Dessau, Eissler).
ReplyDeleteI heard this song at first hardly knowing what it was "about" - but I "got the message" somewhow, via YouTube and my laptop (amazing!). So I looked up translations on Google (all hail!) and compared them, and made my own version. Anyone can do this. It just requires a little application on top of a bit of feelingness.
Translation, however, is a difficult thing. What is important is that the result should not read like a translation - but (guess what ?) most translations read like translations!