A Pack of Cigarettes
Another classic from Viktor Tsoi and KINO. Will the hits ever stop coming? The opening line includes two E verbs: смотреть (to watch) and сидеть (to be in a sitting position). These give us a quick chance to revisit the question of stress predictability: since both infinitives are end-stressed, we actually can't guess the stress pattern. The former happens to have shifting stress, and the latter end-stress. BUT we do at least know that the я forms will be end-stressed, as we see in the opening line: сижу и смотрю.
The first verse of this song is very simple, but the second is much more difficult to translate, because it involves twists on three Russian sayings. Here's an explanation of what's going on:
1. виноватый без вина: a play on a well-known phrase that is the title of an Ostrovsky play, later turned into a Soviet film, meaning “guilty without guilt.” In the song, вина (guilt, fem.) has been replaced with вино (wine, neut.), giving "No one wanted to be guilty without wine."
2. руками жар загребать: literally, to take hot coals with one’s hands. The usual phrase is “чужими руками жар загребать” — to rake the coals with other people’s hands—that is, to be a freeloader).
3. и на миру смерть не красна: the original saying is “на миру и смерть красна,” meaning that difficult ordeals (even death) are easier to accept when surrounded by friends and family (мир in the sense of people, and красна in the sense of красивый). Tsoi’s reworking of the proverb seems to be saying that even with friends around, death isn’t beautiful without music.
A Pack of Cigarettes
I sit and look into another's sky
from another's window,
And I don't see a single
familiar star.
I've walked down all roads,
back and forth;
I turned around and couldn't
discern my footprints.
But if there is, in my pocket,
a pack of cigarettes,
Then everything isn't so bad, after all,
today.
And a ticket for an airplane
with a silverish wing
that, taking off,
leaves the earth but a shadow.
And no one wanted
to "be guilty without wine,"
And no one wanted
to "rake the coals with their hands."
But without music, even "in company
death is not beautiful,"
And without music one feels no desire
to disappear (perish, go lost).
But if there is, in my pocket,
a pack of cigarettes,
Then everything isn't so bad, after all,
today.
And a ticket for an airplane
with a silverish wing
that, taking off,
leaves the earth but a shadow.
Пачка сигарет
Я сижу и смотрю в чужое небо
из чужого окна
И не вижу ни одной
знакомой звезды
Я ходил по всем дорогам
и туда, и сюда
Обернулся и не смог
разглядеть следы
Но если есть в кармане
пачка сигарет
Значит всё не так уж плохо
на сегодняшний день
И билет на самолëт
с серебристым крылом
Что, взлетая,
оставляет земле лишь тень.
И никто не хотел
быть виноватым без вина
И никто не хотел
руками жар загребать
А без музыки и на миру
смерть не красна
А без музыки не хочется
пропадать
Но если есть в кармане
пачка сигарет
Значит всё не так уж плохо
на сегодняшний день
И билет на самолëт
с серебристым крылом
Что, взлетая,
оставляет земле лишь тень.
сидеть Еend: to “be in a sitting position” • смотреть Еshift / посмотреть Е: to look, watch • чужой: someone else’s; alien (the opposite of свой, родной) • небо: sky • знакомый: familiar, known; acquaintance • звезда, pl. звёзды: star • дорога: road • и туда и сюда: “both to there and to here,” this way and that, every which way, back and forth • оборачиваться АЙ / обернуться НУend: to turn around • мочь Г / смочь Г + inf: to be able to, “can” • разглядеть Еend: to make out, discern, see with difficulty • след: trail, footprint • карман: pocket • пачка: pack • сигарета: cigarette • значить И: to mean (значит: “it means,” then…, so…) • сегодняшний: today’s; adj. from сегодня • день, дня: day • билет на что: ticket for • серебристый: silvery, silver-colored (compare серебряный: silver, made from серебро: silver) • крыло, pl. крылья: wing • взлетать АЙ / взлететь Еend: to fly up, take off • оставлять АЙ / оставить И: to leave • земля: earth, ground • лишь = только: only • тень, и: shade, shadow • виноватый: guilty, to blame • вино: wine (compare вина: guilt, blame) • жар: fire, embers • загребать АЙ / загрести Бend: to rake • мир: world; peace; commune; here, “people” • смерть, и: death • красный: red; originally, beautiful • хотеться кому + inf: to “feel the urge” (subjectless!) • пропадать АЙ / пропасть Дend: to perish, go missing
