tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1377385119326285192.post2393053339257344618..comments2024-02-23T00:27:41.196-08:00Comments on Refugees From the City: Somehow, A Georgian Accent Fits this SongJohn the Scientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03467337009577733553noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1377385119326285192.post-38369647602816968092008-07-25T09:40:00.000-07:002008-07-25T09:40:00.000-07:00I admittedly have no skill in poetry translation, ...I admittedly have no skill in poetry translation, but I guess because the second version has more commonly sung "дорогой длинною, да ночью лунною" in the first line of the chorus, I would think something like<BR/><BR/>"Our way is long by night, the moon is shining bright"<BR/><BR/>could work. It sounds rather awkward, when I try it, though...<BR/><BR/>I first heard <EM>Those Were The Days</EM> well into my twenties, and while it makes me proud that a Russian melody merited plagiarization, it is such a sucky variation, especially when you can truly appreciate the original.<BR/><BR/>But as it happened with your Бут thesis, John, I cannot agree more with your summary here. I think I might start quoting you...Ilyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05379167075203188111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1377385119326285192.post-14453431368339582382008-07-24T18:51:00.001-07:002008-07-24T18:51:00.001-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.John the Scientisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03467337009577733553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1377385119326285192.post-58249446134470471912008-07-24T18:51:00.000-07:002008-07-24T18:51:00.000-07:00To a certain degree, Vince, but I think the Englis...To a certain degree, Vince, but I think the English version of this song goes above and beyond. It's basically a different song set to the same tune, yet you can see they were trying to touch the original meaning.<BR/><BR/>I don't like my former Russian teacher's translation much (from my Intensive Summer Russian at Pitt) - his English is not good enough for poetry. I may try a hand at modifying it sometime.<BR/><BR/>The first line of the chorus is something like:<BR/><BR/>"Along the long road, the weather is lunar."<BR/><BR/>That phrase about the cold steppes looking moon-like in the snow is quite poetic, and trasnlating it as "in the moonlight" kills the original.<BR/><BR/>I'd probably translate it something like:<BR/><BR/>"As we go along the way, the weather's lunar gray"<BR/><BR/>or something similar.John the Scientisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03467337009577733553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1377385119326285192.post-49268647545766108412008-07-24T14:14:00.000-07:002008-07-24T14:14:00.000-07:00That was always one of my favorite songs, and I al...That was always one of my favorite songs, and I always thought it had kind if a "Russian" beat to it, if that makes sense. I like the two Russian examples you give, and I think they do have more pathos.<BR/><BR/>While not a linguist, I would think that literal translations often miss the actual purpose or meaning of a song, and modifying the lyrics to include metaphors and cultural references appropriate to the language/culture does more justice to a song. This might be true as well to poetry and fiction.vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16955307244053931069noreply@blogger.com