A Star Named The Sun

Today we have one of Tsoi’s more philosophical songs, and one of his most famous. And while Tsoi typically avoids being overtly political, we do see pacifist sentiments expressed in the second verse (which, in songs of the late Soviet period, can often be read as allusions to the Soviet war in Afghanistan), and, in the final verse, what seems to be a critique of Soviet Man — the enigmatic, unnamed “он,” who is radically egalitarian (“doesn’t remember ranks”), who is beyond good and evil, beyond the voice of conscience, beyond a sense of free will (“doesn’t remember the words ‘yes’ and ‘no’”), and who blindly reaches for the stars, only to be scorched by them, Icarus-like.

As is quite typical with Tsoi, what one might read as a political critique of the Soviet regime in particular is likely better understood as a general philosophical or ethical statement, as a depiction of of universal human experience and history, most notably here of human vanity. This ultimately apolitical universality and tragic sensibility is particularly noticeable here, given the sense of historical time (two thousand years of the same cycle of war and peace, life and death, repeating itself) and cosmic dimensions. Also highly characteristic is the sense of a flawed or inherently fallen universe, in which perhaps our only real dignity, as we are crushed by an indifferent universe, lies (à la Pascal) in the fact that we are aware of our predicament, while the universe that crushes us is blind. Scant consolation! Thus, Tsoi contrasts “we” (who understand that things were all this way) with those who blindly or unreflectingly “live by others’ laws” and vainly reach for the stars.

It must be said that this song is unusually pessimistic even for Tsoi, who typically combines a sober fatalism with a kind of tragic idealism — he himself often sings, in heroic terms, of those who “follow a star” of one kind or another.

At any rate, as one of Tsoi’s more complex texts, it’s no surprise that the language is similarly complex; in fact, it gives us a chance to survey the participial forms that are so typical of formal Russian prose. These are dealt with extensively in Book 3 of the series. In the books, I refer to these as “deverbals,” including 1) verbal adjectives, 2) verbal adverbs, and 3) nouns that are CREATED FROM VERBS.

Focusing on verbal adverbs and adjectives, here’s a summary of all possible forms from the aspectual pair читать АЙ / прочитать АЙ:

VERBAL ADVERBS:
IMPERFECTIVE: читая: (while) reading
PERFECTIVE: прочитав: having read

VERBAL ADJECTIVES:
PRESENT ACTIVE: читающий: (who is) reading
PRESENT PASSIVE: читаемый: (which is being) read

PAST ACTIVE:  читавший: (who was) reading / прочитавший (who has, had read)
PAST PASSIVE: прочитанный: read (these can all be used as short forms, as in: прочитан, прочитана, прочитано, прочитаны)

Here are the examples of each type seen in the song’s lyrics. We don’t have every type here, but 4 out of 6 isn’t bad. The aspectual pairs that produced the forms below are: закрывать АЙ / закрыть ОЙ: to close, cover; считать АЙ / посчитать АЙ: to count, consider; любить И / полюбить И: to love / to come to love; растрескиваться АЙ / растрескаться АЙ: to crack, be cracked; проживать АЙ / прожить В: to live through; согревать АЙ / согреть ЕЙ: to warm; опаливать АЙ / опалить И: to scorch, singe, burn.

VERBAL ADVERBS:
IMPERFECTIVE: закрывая: (while) covering, closing; считая: (while) believing, considering, counting

VERBAL ADJECTIVES:
PRESENT PASSIVE: любимый: (which is being) loved, beloved (used here in the short form любим)

PAST ACTIVE:  растрескавшийся (which has) cracked
PAST PASSIVE: прожитых: lived through; согретый: warmed; опалëнный: scorched, singed, burned

These are some of the more complicated grammatical forms in Russian; learning them is an essential step in intermediate Russian as you begin to read real Russian texts. Until that point, watch for these long, tricky forms in our songs and poems. Often, you’ll be able to spot them as “deverbals” (that is, created from a verb), and at least keep in mind that it may be a while before you fully understand them. As Tsoi’s lyrics are typically quite straightforward and simple, this song is unusual in its number of deverbals.

A Star Called the Sun

White snow, gray ice,
On the cracked earth.
Like a patchwork quilt on it (the earth) —
A city, in a loop (noose) of roads.
And above the city the clouds drift by
Covering the light of heaven.
And above the city — yellow smoke,
The city is aged two thousand years,
Lived beneath the light of the Star
Called the Sun...

And for two thousand years — war,
War without particular reasons.
War — the business of the young,
Medicine against wrinkles.
Red, red blood —
An hour later already simply earth,
Two (hours) later flowers and grass on it,
Three (hours) later it is alive again
And warmed by the rays of the Star
Called the Sun...

And we know that is was always thus,
That "by Fate is more loved"
He who lives by others' rules,
and is destined to die young.
He doesn't remember the words "yes" and "no",
He doesn't remember ranks and names,
And is capable of reaching the stars,
Not believing that this is a dream,
And (capable) of falling, scorched by the Star
Called the Sun...

Звезда по имени Солнце

Белый снег, серый лëд,
На растрескавшейся земле.
Одеялом лоскутным на ней —
Город в дорожной петле.
А над городом плывут облака,
Закрывая небесный свет.
А над городом — жëлтый дым,
Городу две тысячи лет,
Прожитых под светом Звезды
По имени Солнце...

И две тысячи лет — война,
Война без особых причин.
Война — дело молодых,
Лекарство против морщин.
Красная, красная кровь —
Через час уже просто земля,
Через два на ней цветы и трава,
Через три она снова жива
И согрета лучами Звезды
По имени Солнце...

И мы знаем, что так было всегда,
Что Судьбою больше любим,
Кто живëт по законам другим,
И кому умирать молодым.
Он не помнит слова "да" и слова "нет",
Он не помнит ни чинов, ни имён,
И способен дотянуться до звёзд,
Не считая, что это сон.
И упасть, опалëнным звездой
По имени Солнце...

Vocab notes:

серый: gray • лёд, льда: ice • растрескиваться АЙ / растрескаться АЙ:  to crack, split • земля: earth, ground • одеяло: cover, blanket • лоскутный: adj. from лоскут: a shred, scrap • дорожный: adj. from дорога: road • петля: loop, noose • плавать АЙ - плыть Вend / поплыть В: to go by water (or, here, flowingly, as if by water) • облако, pl. облака: cloud • закрывать АЙ / закрыть ОЙstem: to close, cover • небесный: adj. from небо, pl. небеса: sky, the heavens • свет: world, light • дым: smoke • проживать АЙ / прожить Вend: to live through • звезда, pl. звёзды: star • по имени: “by name, in accordance with имя” • война: war • особый: particular • причина: reason, cause • дело: matter, affair, business • модолые: young people • лекарство: medicine • морщина: wrinkle • кровь, и: blood • цветок, pl. цветы: flower (compare цвет, pl. цвета: color) • трава: grass • снова: (once) again • живой: living, alive • согревать АЙ / согреть ЕЙ: to warm • луч: ray • судьба: fate • любимый: loved; favorite • закон: law • умирать АЙ / умереть /Р: to die • помнить И / вспомнить И: to remember • слово: word • чин: rank • способный + inf.: capable of, able to • дотягиваться АЙ / дотянуться НУshift до чего: to reach for, attain • считать АЙ / посчитать АЙ: to count; to consider • сон: dream; sleep • упадать АЙ / упасть Дend: to fall • опаливать АЙ / опалить Иend: to scorch, singe, burn