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| English Version by Viacheslav Chetin |
| ПРЕРВАННЫЙ ПОЛЕТ | AN ABORTIVE FLIGHT |
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| Кто-то высмотрел плод, что неспел, неспел, | Someone picked out a fruit that was green, was green, |
| Потрусили за ствол - он упал, упал... | Gave the tree a good shake, down it fell, it fell… |
| Вот вам песня о том, кто не спел, не спел, | Here’s a song about who failed to sing, to sing, |
| И что голос имел - не узнал, не узнал. | Of his having a voice unaware, unaware. |
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| Может, были с судьбой нелады, нелады, | Perhaps, there had been discords with the fate, the fate, |
| И со случаем, плохи дела, дела, | And with luck, things had also been bad, been bad, |
| А тугая струна на лады, на лады | While a taut string had lain onto frets, onto frets |
| С незаметным изъяном легла. | With a never detected defect. |
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| Он начал робко - с ноты "до", | He coyly started - with a ‘C’, |
| Но не допел ее не до... | But in the middle, failed to sing… |
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| Недозвучал его аккорд, аккорд | His chord had failed to ring all out, all out, |
| И никого не вдохновил... | And not a soul had been inspired … |
| Собака лаяла, а кот | A dog was barking and a cat |
| Мышей ловил... | Was hunting mice… |
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| Смешно! Не правда ли, смешно! Смешно! | Amusing! Isn’t it worth a smile, a smile? |
| А он шутил - недошутил, | His joke went halfway to a halt, |
| Недораспробовал вино | He hadn’t finished tasting wine – |
| И даже недопригубил. | He hadn’t even had a shot. |
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| Он пока лишь затеивал спор, спор | He was only about to start words, words, |
| Неуверенно и не спеша, | Still uncertain and slow to begin, |
| Словно капельки пота из пор, | As if small beads of sweat out of pores, |
| Из-под кожи сочилась душа. | Soul was showing up from under skin. |
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| Только начал дуэль на ковре, | He’d just started a fight in a ring, |
| Еле-еле, едва приступил. | Very slowly, he’d only begun. |
| Лишь чуть-чуть осмотрелся в игре, | He had just got his bearings in it, |
| И судья еще счет не открыл. | And the judge had not started the count. |
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| Он хотел знать все от и до, | He's keen to know from A to Z, |
| Но не добрался он, не до... | But hadn’t got to it, he hadn’t… |
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| Ни до догадки, ни до дна, | Not a surmise, nor the profound - |
| Не докопался до глубин, | He hadn’t dug down to the heart, |
| И ту, которая ОДНА | Nor her, who was the only one, |
| Не долюбил, не долюбил! | Had loved all out, had loved all out! |
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| Смешно, не правда ли, смешно, | Amusing! Isn’t it worth a smile, a smile, |
| Что он спешил - недоспешил? | He’d hurried up, and all in vain? |
| Осталось недорешено, | And everything he had no time |
| Все то, что он недорешил. | To solve, for life unsolved remained. |
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| Ни единою буквой не лгу. | I’m not lying, the story is whole, |
| Он был чистого слога слуга, | He’d devotedly served a pure style, |
| Он писал ей стихи на снегу, - | He wrote verses to her on the snow, - |
| К сожалению, тают снега. | Snows, unfortunately, thaw when time. |
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| Но тогда еще был снегопад | But in those days it snowed, anyway, |
| И свобода писать на снегу. | There was freedom to write on the snow. |
| И большие снежинки, и град | And large snowflakes, as well as hail, |
| Он губами хватал на бегу. | With his mouth he caught on the run. |
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| Но к ней в серебряном ландо | But in a landau, to her place, |
| Он не добрался и не до... | He failed to get, he failed to get… |
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| Не добежал, бегун-беглец, | He hadn’t run, a runner-fugitive, |
| Не долетел, не доскакал, | He hadn’t flown, nor had he raced, |
| А звездный знак его - Телец - | While Taurus, a star sign of his, |
| Холодный Млечный Путь лакал. | Was lapping ice-cold Milky Way. |
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| Смешно, не правда ли, смешно, | Amusing, isn’t it worth a smile, |
| Когда секунд недостает, - | When time is short through seconds’ lack, |
| Недостающее звено - | A missing link, a lacking while – |
| И недолет, и недолет. | And under mark, and under mark. |
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| Смешно, не правда ли? Ну, вот, - | Amusing, isn’t it? Here you are |
| И вам смешно, и даже мне. | Amused, even I am put away. |
| Конь на скаку и птица влет, - | A horse in race, a bird in flight, |
| По чьей вине, по чьей вине? | And who’s to blame, and who’s to blame? |
