Re: Help from a Russian speaker, please?

Jo' napot ki'va'nok, Ferko!

----- Original Message -----
From: Frank George Valoczy <valoczy@...>
To: <CONLANG@...>
Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2002 12:33 PM
Subject: Help from a Russian speaker, please?


> Hi!
>
> I would like to ask one of our friends on this list who knows Russian if
> they could help me out. There's this song I really like, by the Russian
> band, Grazhdanskaja Oborona. I understand the gist of the lyrics, but my
> knowledge of Russian is not vast, and my Serbian only takes me so
> far...not quite far enough to understand it completely. So, I would ask,
> if someone could please translate it for me:
>
> Vse Idet po Planu (Grazhdanskaja Oborona)
>
> --- original lyrics skipped ---
I couldn't just wait because the text was very interesting.
So I laid everything aside and made it for you and for fun of all the
conlangers.
It's just a raw, smtimes almost word-by-word translation, with some
explanatory notes. Have fun!

--- the text ---
Everything's Going According to the Plan

The key to the border [1] is broken into parts
Our Father Lenin is completely dead [2]
He's decomposed into mucus and white honey [3]
And perestroika's [4] still going on according to the plan
And all the dirt has turned into grey ice
and everything's going according to the plan [5]
Everything's going according to the plan

My destiny wanted some rest
I promised her [6] not to take part in this military game
But my [military] cap has the sickle, hammer and star [7]
It's so affecting: the sickle, hammer and star
A jaunty lantern of waiting is swaying
and everything's going according to the plan
Everything's going according to the plan

My wife was given as food to the crowd
Her breast was crushed by a world-wide fist [8]
Her flesh was smashed by people's freedom
So bury her [without formal rituals] in Christ
'coz everything's going according to the plan
Everything's going according to the plan

You see, only Granpa Lenin [9] was a good leader [10]
And all the others were such kinda dung
And all the others were enemies and such fools
A devil-possessed [11] snow was falling over my darling Motherland
I bought a _Korea_ [12] magazine -- everything is OK there too
Comrade Kim Il Sung is there, they've got the same kinda things
I'm sure they've got the same kinda things
and everything's going according to the plan
Everything's going according to the plan

And when communism has been built, everything gonna be f@#$ingly well
It will come soon we just need to wait
Everything's gonna be free of charge there
everything's gonna be like 'kajf' [13] there
Maybe you need not even to die when you are there
I woke up in the midnight and understood
that everything's going according to the plan
Everything's going according to the plan

---end lyrics---

Notes:
[1] allusion to the Sovietism "The border is locked" (Granitsa na zamke);
[2] here they used church words like "batjushka" (a Chr. Orthodox priest)
and "usop" ('died', about the saints);
[3] gathered on lime-blossom, may refer to homonymic word "lipovyj" 'fake';
[4] a political movement in late 1980's, lit. 'reconstruction', aimed to
reform the Soviet society;
[5] here the word "plan" may mean not only 'idea', 'concept', but also
refer to the directives of the Soviet government regulating economy,
education etc.;
[6] 'fate', 'destiny' is feminine in Russian;
[7] Soviet 'most holy' symbols;
[8] a pun, the words "mirovoy kulak" may also mean 'a rich farmer who has a
private farm, employs worker and thus is an enemy of the Soviet Power';
[9] a common term by which Lenin was called in kindergartens and schools;
[10] "vozhdj" -- more like 'Fuehrer', 'chieftain';
[11] a common title for Hitler;
[12] a magazine published in Northern Korea in several languages including
Russian aimed for propaganda;
[13] "kajf" -- state after taking narcotic drugs

> Thanks in advance!
I tried my best...

> ----ferko
> Ferenc Gy. Valoczy
>
Yitzik
~~~~~~~~~~~~~