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A Bedpan

An enamel bedpan
A window, a nightstand, a bed
Living is hard and uncomfortable
But it is comfortable to die
An enamel bedpan
A window, a nightstand, a bed
Living is hard and uncomfortable
But it is comfortable to die
 
And it is quietly dripping from a faucet
And life is unkempt like a whore
It appears like out of a fog
And it sees: a nightstand, a bed
 
And I try to stand up
I want to look into its eyes
Look into its eyes and cry
And never die, never die
Never die, never die, never die
 
An enamel bedpan
A window, a nightstand, a bed
Living is hard and uncomfortable
But it is comfortable to die
An enamel bedpan
A window, a nightstand, a bed
Living is hard and uncomfortable
But it is comfortable to die
 
Original lyrics

Судно

Click to see the original lyrics (Russian)

Please help to translate "Судно"
Comments
Dr_IgorDr_Igor    Sat, 10/06/2023 - 02:50

блядь = a whore ( it's not always just a cuss word)
The whole line
И жизнь растрепана,как блядь
And (my)life is disheveled like a whore - there's a visual image here lost in your translation.

It exits like out of a fog - "exits" is a bad fit because the actual meaning here is "it comes out/ appears (in front of him) like out of a fog".

pnielsenpnielsen
   Sat, 10/06/2023 - 20:25

Thank you. I tried to make the lyrics as understandable as possible, but you're right - the literal translation is "And life is disheveled/unkempt/untidy/messy like a whore"... It just seemed more natural to say "fucking mess" in English... But "And life is unkempt like a whore" is a more accurate translation indeed. I'll change it to that.

"Come out like out of a fog" and "Exit like out of a fog" has the same meaning in English. However, I do agree that "Appears like out of a fog" sounds better in English! I think I locked my thoughts too much on the literal meaning of Выходить...

Dr_IgorDr_Igor    Sat, 10/06/2023 - 20:59

>>"Come out like out of a fog" and "Exit like out of a fog" has(sic) the same meaning in English
No, they do not as "come" and "go" don't have the same meaning. "Exit" is from the "go family" - focused on what's being left(exited) - the fog. Here the focus is on the appearance in front of the narrator ("come family"), what's being left behind
is a secondary thing. I understand it's a nuance, but not an unimportant one.

>>literal meaning of Выходить...
you are correct: "выходить" can be "откуда-то" and then it can be "to exit"
but it can also be "выходить к чему-то/кому-то" and then it is "to come out" - a standard "mating call" from a guy to a girl sitting at home: "Выходи погулять!"

Russian is very tough, so many nuances, meanings depending on the context, etc.

Dima KrutyxDima Krutyx    Fri, 30/06/2023 - 01:14

Line 3: "Life is hard and uncomfortable" is less suitable here. Originally it's meant: "it is uncomfortable to live here, but it is comfortable enough to die."

pnielsenpnielsen
   Fri, 30/06/2023 - 18:37

I see your point clearly. The Russian text uses the verb Жить (to live) . So the direct translation is "It is hard and uncomfortable to live", but this sounds very unnatural in English compared to "Life is hard and uncomfortable". However, I changed the verb to a noun there without good reason, so in order to be closer to the Russian lyrics, keeping it as a verb is more accurate: "Living is hard and uncomfortable"

(FWIW, we cannot add the word "here" because the Russian text Жить тяжело и не уютно does not say the word здесь / сюда / тут / вот ...)

Dr_IgorDr_Igor    Fri, 30/06/2023 - 19:03
pnielsen wrote:

(FWIW, we cannot add the word "here" because the Russian text Жить тяжело и не уютно does not say the word здесь / сюда / тут / вот ...)

It is strongly implied that in that environment ( described in the previous two lines) living is...
In English, if that connection is not established in some way the meaning is lost and the phrase becomes too general.

pnielsenpnielsen
   Fri, 30/06/2023 - 19:59

My view is definitely not that he's saying "living here" or "life here". The statement is in my understanding supposed to very general. Boris Ryzhy had depression and was an alcoholic and finally he committed suicide. Life was not only hard "here" (in the hospice/hospital). Life is hard and uncomforable overall.

Dr_IgorDr_Igor    Fri, 30/06/2023 - 22:08

You know what? He's definitely not saying that living there was uncomfortable, but he is definitely saying that that environment is making it comfortable to die. No way he is saying that just to die is comfortable. It has to be tied to what he is describing - bedpan and all...

pnielsenpnielsen
   Sat, 01/07/2023 - 15:21

It is pretty clear that Boris Ryzhy was tired of life and he was looking forward to die. The environment doesn't matter. In the end he committed suicide...

Kevin RainbowKevin Rainbow    Fri, 30/06/2023 - 18:59
Quote:

And it is quietly dripping from a faucet
And life is unkempt like a whore
It appears like out of a fog
And it sees: a nightstand, a bed

I think it would be slightly better just to say "life" right away and then you could avoid using "it" in the following lines:

And life is quietly dripping from a faucet,
And, unkempt like a whore,
Appears as if out of a fog
And sees: a nightstand, a bed

pnielsenpnielsen
   Fri, 30/06/2023 - 19:50

I agree, that actually works better in English

Dima KrutyxDima Krutyx    Sat, 01/07/2023 - 10:00

Nope. Due to the construction "и..., и..." in Russian, it seems that both actions happen simultaneously, but separately. IMHO, this verse actually describes the moment, when he firstly recovers senses in a hospital after a suicide attempt. Namely, to the sounds of a quietly dripping faucet, his life(soul) that already left his body, is coming back, appearing like out of fog/haze, and what it sees is "a bedside chest, a bed".

pnielsenpnielsen
   Sat, 01/07/2023 - 15:08

I agree, We don't know the intention of the writer. Is it water that's dripping, or is it a metaphore that life is dripping away. We don't know. I'll change it back to "it" so that it's more vague.

Dima KrutyxDima Krutyx    Sat, 01/07/2023 - 19:28

I wish we could ask Boris Ryzhy to clarify, but he's joined the 27 club already... I think your latest version is good.