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«Здесь лапы у елей дрожат на весу…»
“Here the fir branches tremble, hanging in the air…”
The words remain the same. But listen closely — and it is already a different song.
Because it is not the words that sing. It is the voice.
Вступ
Vladimir Vysotsky never “performed” songs. He lived inside them.
His voice was not about sound — it was about truth.
Others sang the same lines too. For example, the band Chizh & Co.
The melody remained almost unchanged. The lyrics identical.
And yet — the meaning slipped away.
- Висоцький: hoarse, breaking voice, each line like the last breath.
- Chizh: smooth, lyrical, youthful.
Beautiful? Yes. But it is no longer confession. It is narrative.
Six Lines — Six Lives
1) «Здесь лапы у елей дрожат на весу…»
EN: “Here the fir branches tremble, hanging in the air…”
UA: «Тут лапи ялин тремтять у повітрі…»
DE: „Hier zittern die Tannenäste, frei in der Luft…“
- Russian original: на весу — both literally “suspended” and metaphorically “life without support.” The consonants д-р-ж-т create a rhythmic punch.
- Українська: “у повітрі” — softer, lyrical, less anxiety.
- Англійська: “hanging in the air” describes but does not unsettle.
- Німецька: “frei in der Luft” sounds cold, almost technical.
👉 Це означає.: Russian conveys emptiness and tension. Translations reduce it to scenery.
2) «Твой мир колдунами на тысячу лет укрыт от меня и от света…»
EN: “Your world has been hidden for a thousand years by sorcerers — from me and from the light…”
UA: «Твій світ чаклунами на тисячу літ укритий від мене і від світла…»
DE: „Deine Welt ist von Zauberern auf tausend Jahre vor mir und dem Licht verhüllt…“
- Російська: “укрыт” — a sharp blow, isolation, loss of hope.
- Українська: adds softness; “чаклуни” feels fairy-tale.
- English/German: “sorcerers/Zauberer” push the image toward fantasy rather than despair.
👉 Це означає.: Vysotsky — a cry of exile. Others — a mystical metaphor.
3) «Соглашайся хотя бы на рай в шалаше, если терем с дворцом кто-то занял…»
EN: “Agree at least to paradise in a hut if someone has already taken the palace…”
UA: «Згоджуйся хоча б на рай у хатині (шалаші), якщо терем із палацом хтось зайняв…»
DE: „Nimm wenigstens das Paradies in der Hütte an, wenn jemand den Palast schon besetzt hat…“
- Російська: “шалаш” — rough, poor, sharp. Antithesis to “терем” (old Russian tower-palace) with social sting.
- Українська: “хатина” (little hut) carries warmth, dream of simple happiness; “шалаш” kept in brackets for literalness.
- English/German: “hut/Hütte” = generic, stripped of cultural depth.
👉 Це означає.: Vysotsky — dignity in poverty. In translation — a cliché about simple love.
4) «Украду — если кража тебе по душе…»
EN: “I’ll steal — if stealing is what you desire…”
UA: «Украду — якщо крадіжка тобі до душі…»
DE: „Ich stehle — wenn dir der Diebstahl gefällt…“
- Російська: “по душе” = resonance with conscience, a desperate inner appeal.
- Українська: closer to “if it pleases you,” weaker.
- Англійська: “desire” shifts into erotic play.
- Німецька: “gefällt” sounds rational, even lighthearted.
👉 Це означає.: Vysotsky — despair. Others — flirt.
5) «Зря ли я столько сил разбазарил…»
EN: “Was it all in vain — all the strength I squandered…”
UA: «Дарма я стільки сил розтринькав…»
DE: „War es umsonst, dass ich so viel Kraft vergeudet habe…“
- Російська: “разбазарил” = colloquial, biting, self-ironic confession.
- Українська: “розтринькав” is close but softer.
- English/German: “squandered/vergeudet” are literary, polished.
👉 Це означає.: Russian — a confession of wasted life. Translations — mere reflection.
6) «И думаешь ты, что прекраснее нет, чем лес заколдованный этот…»
EN: “And you think there is nothing more beautiful than this enchanted forest…”
UA: «І думаєш ти, що немає прекраснішого за цей зачарований ліс…»
DE: „Und du denkst, es gibt nichts Schöneres als diesen verzauberten Wald…“
- Російська: “заколдованный” = bitterness, captivity.
- Ukrainian/English/German: “enchanted/zacharovany/verzaubert” = fairy tale beauty.
👉 Це означає.: Vysotsky — irony and pain. Others — romantic charm.
How Different Generations Hear This Song
- 16–18 — teenagers, first-year students. They hear beautiful words, but not the despair. Atmosphere > meaning.
- 19–24 — young adults. Romanticize: they hear freedom and love, not despair.
- 25–30 — entering real adult life. They recognize their own losses and broken plans.
- 30–45 — middle age. The song becomes a mirror, not a metaphor.
- 45+ — older generation. They hear in Vysotsky the voice of those who cannot speak anymore.
And across decades:
- 1970s: protest, forbidden truth.
- 1990s: romance of freedom, then disappointment.
- Сьогодні: students hear “beautiful text,” adults hear a voice of pain.
Conclusion: Voice Above Translation
The same words. A different life.
Voice changes meaning more than translation ever can.
Learning words does not mean expressing thought.
Learning grammar does not mean being heard.
Language begins where meaning passes through pause, breath, silence.
Where foreign words sound as if they were your own.
What We Teach
За адресою Levitin Language School (Start Language School by Tymur Levitin) we don’t give templates.
We teach you to feel your voice.
To speak so that you — not just the words — are heard.
Read also
- Як наголос змінює значення в англійських реченнях
- Six Songs Without Words: How Feelings Sound Without Translation
- Cultural Realities in Translation: How Not to Lose Meaning
Official websites:
🌍 https://levitinlanguageschool.com
🇺🇸 https://languagelearnings.com
👤 https://levitinlanguageschool.com/teachers/tymur-levitin/
Автор: Тимур Левітін — Founder, Director and Head Teacher of
Levitin Language School (Start Language School by Tymur Levitin)
© Тимур Левітін
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