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    Пастух золотого руна → English translation

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Original lyrics
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Пастух золотого руна

Ой дорога длинна. Льёт печаль свою Луна
Тускло светит путеводная звезда
Всë прошло, отчий дом я покинул навсегда
И куда-то всë гоню свои стада
 
Цель пути-лишь идти, пусть ведëт он в никуда
И за поворотом ждëт меня беда.
Но я верил всегда: нет напрасного труда
И куда-то все гоню свои стада.
 
Припев:
Ведь
Я - пастух золотого руна, моё время- ночь.
Я пастух золотого руна, моё время - ночь.
 
Мимо гор, мимо сел, мимо рек, не знавших льда,
- Им не даст замерзнуть быстрая вода-
За версту обходя и леса и города,
Я куда-то всё гоню свои стада.
 
Припев
 
Несмотря на года без любви и без стыда,
Выбирая и жару и холода
Заметая следы, обрывая провода
Я куда-то всë гоню свои стада.
 
Припев
 
Translation

The Golden Fleece shepherd

Will this road ever end?1 Under the crying moon2,
a faint guiding star lights my way.
It's all over, I left my father's home forever,
and I just keep on leading my flock.
 
It's the journey that matters, even if the path leads nowhere
and misfortune lies in wait around the next bend.
I've always thought there is no menial job3,
and I just keep on leading my flock.
 
(chorus)
For
I am the Golden Fleece shepherd,4 the night is my time.
I am the Golden Fleece shepherd, the night is my time.
 
Past mountains and villages, across rivers flowing too fast5
for ice to grab hold of them,
keeping clear of forests6 and cities,
I just keep on leading my flock.
 
(chorus)
 
Ignoring the years spent without love and without shame,
going for the heat and the cold,
covering my tracks, severing all ties,
I just keep on leading my flock.
 
(chorus)
 
  • 1. lit. "oh, the road is (so) long"
  • 2. lit. "the moon is pouring out its sadness"
  • 3. though the expression is similar to "there is no menial job", "напрасный труд" (a work done in vain) also evokes the myth of Sisyphus
  • 4. in Russian, "go looking for the Golden Fleece" is like "chasing dreams"
  • 5. lit. "rivers that don't know ice - the quick water won't let them freeze over"
  • 6. "to be in the forest" means "to be lost, all at sea"
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Idioms from "Пастух золотого руна"
1.All at sea
2.Путеводная звезда
Comments
GavinGavin
   Fri, 23/06/2017 - 09:17

Ah that Golden Fleece eh? :-)

Nice translation, it reads pretty well already but I have a couple of thoughts…

It’s the going that counts – It’s ok, but a more typical phrase would be “It’s the journey that matters” In fact it’s a quote often erroneously attributed to Hemingway or TS Elliot. The truth is unclear but there are these lines of Elliot:

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time

“Around” the next bend is much more usual

“a” menial job – you need that “a”. Il y a pas de sot metier quoi ?

Not sure about this “disregarding” – what is he saying here?
Maybe “casting off” or “leaving behind” (those) years?

GavinGavin
   Fri, 23/06/2017 - 12:36

Yes I don't really like disregarding although its literal meaning is correct it just sounds a little odd.
To capture the exact meaning I think you'd have to say "turning my gaze from" or "turning my eyes away from"
... "averting my eyes from" even...

or more figuratively "letting go of", "casting off" "turning my back on". Not quite the same but seems to capture the underlying sense?

Oh, one more:
"Keeping clear from" - needs to be either: keeping away from / Keeping clear of

sandringsandring    Fri, 23/06/2017 - 11:55

Dear Pierre, a few comments if you don't mind
1. Путеводная звезда is the guiding star, lodestar, that is the North Star. Идти за путеводной звездой means to follow one's life mission. So if you change "a faint star" into one of the above options it'll be clear that the author is fulfilling what he thinks to be this mission.
2. And since then I've been driving my flock on and on (to emphasise the unceasing process)
3. About that poetic spot: I'd say something like
The destination is the journey in itself, even if it leads to nowhere
4. around the next bend (Gavier is right)
5. напрасный труд - Sisyphean labours. Since the poem is based on ancient Greece images this will be to the point.
6. Мимо гор.... Past the mountains.....
7. I've been driving (or leading) my flock - it's not Future, Or I keep leading my flock. (Я все бегу и бегу = I keep running or I've been running on and on. It's rather retrospective)
8. I've corrected the lyrics but your translation is correct Обходить за версту means to keep clear OF cities and forests
9. Несмотря на - Maybe "Despite the years without love OR shame Going for (выбирая) heat or cold....

I've never heard this song. Thank you for your choice and translation, Pierre. And thank you for your courage. If I dared to translate anything into French .... but I don't and I guess never will. :)

sandringsandring    Sun, 25/06/2017 - 06:38

You're right, Pierre, the simpler, the better :)

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