Psí Vojáci (Dog Warriors - Czech)

Though this blog focuses on the late Soviet rock scene in Russia, I thought it might be of interest to glance at the scene in what was then Czechoslovakia. Psí Vojáci (Dog Warriors) was one of the major bands in underground scene there, and though the band “Plastic People of the Universe” are better known (not so much for their music, but for winding up in the middle of a political clash — around the signing of Charter 77 — that ended in the collapse of the Communist regime and the election of the playwright Václav Havel as president), I vastly prefer Psí Vojáci, and thought I might share some of their songs. There are lots of goods ones.

The band was led by Filip Topol, here pictured as a young man (I like to do people the favor of finding pictures of them before they went bald), who both sings and plays the piano. He was known for his manic live performances, which often ended with his hands bloodied from pounding on the keys. Topol died in 2013, but is survived by his brother Jachým Topol, a renowned poet and novelist who wrote many of Psí Vojáci’s lyrics.

I’ve provided the original Czech, with English translations (by me). You Russian students may find it curious to see how much of another Slavic language you can make sense of based on knowledge of Russian. Some of the lyrics are a bit obscure and hard to translate, but I’ve done my best.

The Sky is Overcast

The sky is overcast
An orange shines in it
The crows on the plain
Take fright; but don’t you cry

The sky is above the plain
The wind has lost its color
Bewildered, it cowers
Near the sky, without you

Or — cry, cry, cry
In the darkness

The wind touches
The far corners of the sky
Presses in upon itself
And races after you

The trees tremble
The streetcars rage;
Borne by the wind, drops
Of sad sweat
Quietly trickle down.
Quietly trickle down.

Or cry, cry, cry
In the darkness

The sky is overcast
An orange shines in it
The crows on the plain
Take fright; but don’t you cry

Or — cry, cry, cry

Nebe je zatažený

Nebe je zatažený
Svítí na něj pomeranč
vrány na pláni
se lekají tak neplač

Nebe je nad plání
vítr ztratil barvu
zmatený choulí se
k nebi bez tebe

Nebo plač plač plač
ve tmě

Vítr se dotýká
koutků nebe
tiskne se sám k sobě
utíká za tebou

Stromy se chvějí
tramvaje se vztekají
po větru krůpěje
smutného potu
potichu stékají
potichu stékají

Nebo plač plač plač
ve tmě

Nebe je zatažený
Svítí na něj pomeranč
vrány na pláni
se lekají tak neplač

Nebo plač plač plač

Piercing

I was lying on the ground,
Grass touching my shoulderblades.
The wind caressed the eye of heaven

It was a prayer.

The water was singing
The sun was veiled
But, brawling,
I discovered it.

It was a prayer.

I was flying in the sky
I was rising like a dream,
And then, to my horror, I saw
A bird pierced by its own horizon,
By itself;
Some feathers fell,
And again everything was like it was before.
The only thing was
That I’d seen
A bird pierced by its own horizon.

I was lying on the ground,
Grass touching my shoulderblades.
The wind caressed the eye of heaven

It was a prayer.

Protínání

Ležel jsem na zemi
Tráva se dotýkala lopatek
Vítr hladil oko nebe

Byla to modlitba

Voda zpívala
Slunce závojovalo
A v hádkách
Jsem ho objevil

Byla to modlitba

Letěl na obloze
Vznášel se jak sen
A pak jsem s úděsem spatřil
Jak se pták protnul se svým obzorem
Sám se sebou
Trochu spadlo peří
A zase bylo všechno jako předtím
Akorát
Že jsem viděl
Jak se pták protnul se svým vlastním obzorem

Ležel jsem na zemi
Tráva se dotýkala lopatek
Vítr hladil oko nebe

Byla to modlitba

Hey! Hey!

Hey! Hey!
Night has fallen!
I’m calling you, my dear,
With a cry for help!

Hey! Hey!
Don’t be sad, my dear!
I’ve cut my skull in two!
The only one I had left!

Hey! Hey!
Don’t be sad, my dear!
It’s just split in two, that’s all!

Since then my days have been without a Sun
All I see is grayness, and two Moons
And when I start running
The two halves of my head knock against my shoulders
And my soul
My soul is somehow clouded.

Hey! Hey!
What’s that you say, my dear?
That you can’t take it anymore?
That you’re tired of all this?

Hey! Hey!
Don’t be sad, my dear!
Or could it be that my cracked head
Has melted your heart?

Hey! Hey!
Don’t be sad, my dear!
Maybe it would grow back together
If you were to kiss me!

Heja! Heja!

Heja! Heja!
Padla už noc!
Volám tě, moje milá
S prosbou o pomoc!

Heja! Heja!
Nebuď smutná, moje milá!
Rozsek sem si lebku!
Tu jedinou co mi zbyla!

Heja! Heja!
Nebuď smutná, moje milá!
Vždyť se jenom rozpůlila!

Od tý doby jsou dny bez Slunce
Vidím jen šeď a k tomu dva Měsíce
Když se rozeběhnu
Půlky hlavy mi klepou o ramena
A duše má
Duše je ňáká zakalená

Heja! Heja!
Co to říkáš, moje milá?
Že už nemůžeš?
Že už jsi z toho unavená?

Heja! Heja!
Nebuď smutná, moje milá!
Nebo že by hlava puklá
Tvoje srdce rozpustila?

Heja! Heja!
Nebuď smutná, moje milá!
Snad by zase srostla
Kdyby si mě políbila!

padnout (NOU): to fall • noc, i: night • volat AJ: to call • milý: dear • prosba: request • pomoc, i: help • smutný: sad • rozsekat AJ / rozseknout (NOU): to cut apart, in half • lebka: skull • jediiný: only, sole • zbývat AJ / zbýt: to be left • vždyť: after all, I mean • půlit se / rozpůlit se: to be split in half • doba: time • den: day • slunce: sun • šeď, i: grayness • měsíc: month, moon • rozbíhat se / rozeběhnout se (NOU): to pick up speed, start running • půlka: half • hlava: head • klepat A: to knock, pound • o co: against • rameno: shoulder, arm • duše: soul • má = moje • ňáký = nějaký: some kind of, some • zakalený: turbid, clouded, muddled • říkat AJ / říct (řeknu, řekneš řekl): to say • moct H (můžu, můžeš mohl): to be able • unavený z čeho: tired of • puklý: split, cracked • srdce: heart • rozpouštět EJ / rozpustit I: to dissolve, melt (transitive) • snad: perhaps • zase: again • srostat AJ / srůst (srostnu, strostneš srostl): to grow together • líbit I / políbit I: to kiss

I Feel Like Sleeping

When I get home in the morning
I sit down and turn on the television
beautiful women walk outside
a new day is beginning
well, what can one do…
I feel like sleeping.
Sometimes I take a shower
Or fire up the stove.
Women look in through my windows,
They also look in at me from the television.
well, but what can one do…
I feel like sleeping

Once one of them told me
that I look like James Dean,
but that one could tell by looking at me
that I’m no stranger to the bottle.
How is one to respond to that?
I feel like sleeping.
She was really pretty and smelled nice,

She smoked expensive cigarettes and
was laughing constantly
she had fire in her eyes.
That was a great love.
Well, but what can one do…
I feel like sleeping

I don’t want to look like James Dean
I don’t want to smoke expensive cigarettes
I don’t want to laugh
I don’t want to swallow fire
In any case, it wouldn’t work out.
I feel like sleeping.

Because when I get home in the morning
I sit down and turn on the television
beautiful women walk outside
a new day is beginning
well, what can one do…
I feel like sleeping.

Chce se mi spát

Když přijdu ráno domu
sednu si a zapnu televizi
venku choděj krásný holky
začíná novej den
no jo ale co dělat
chce se mi spát
Občas se osprchuju
zatopím v kamnech
Holky se mi dívaj do oken
z televize se na mě taky dívaj
no jo ale co dělat
chce se mi spát

Jednou mi jedna řekla
že vypadám jako James Dean
ale že je vidět
že prej moc chlastám
co na to říct
chce se mi spát
Byla moc krásná a voněla

Kouřila drahý cigarety a 
furt se smála
v očích měla plameny
byla to velká láska
no jo ale co dělat
chce se mi spát

Nechci vypadat jako James Dean
Nechci kouřit drahý cigarety
Nechci se smát
Nechci polykat plameny
stejně to nejde
chce se mi spát

Protože když ráno přídu domu
sednu si a zapnu televizi
venku choděj krásný holky
začíná novej den
no jo ale co dělat
chce se mi spát 

And a Voice Spoke

Give this thing a try;
It doesn’t take much.
All it takes is to find some resolve
And take the first step.
So… just give it a try.
I’ll be thinking of you.

These undulating borders
Almost intersect.
Perhaps it’s not a goal,
But you certainly have something within your reach.
So, just give it a try.
I’ll be thinking of you.

Perhaps it won’t hurt.
Perhaps in the end things will be beautiiful.
But you have to try.
There’s no time left to look around in indecision.

And when you give this thing a try,
Please, let me know —
That I might be glad
At the fact that you survived.

A Mluvil Hlas

Zkus si ten příběh
Stačí jen málo
Stačí se jen trochu odhodlat
a udělat první krok
Tak... jen se o to pokus
Budu na tebe myslet

Ty zvlněný hranice 
se málem protínaj
Možná ne cíl
ale něco máš určitě nadosah
Tak se jen pokus
Budu na tebe myslet

Snad to nebude bolet
Snad už to konečně bude krásný
Ale musíš se pokusit
Už není čas jen tak se pořád rozhlížet

A až se o to pokusíš
Dej mi prosím vědět
Abych měl radost
že jsi to přežil

Mice in a Field

Morning noon and evening
We won’t stand aside.
When things get even a little better,
We’ll stop on the beach.

This beach eludes understanding;
It is simply indescribable.
We’ll sit down on the sand
And wait, morning noon and evening.

We’ve never really lived; what will become of us?
We’ve still never lived; time takes its time.
We asked the sky, the water said nothing;
The trees huddled together, mice in a field.
In profound amazement we wave at each other
To show we still exist, that we’re here.

Morning noon and evening
Windmills, nothing but windmills,
Until, on an endless beach,
We’ll all take a deep breath.

We’ll huddle together,
All the way to the edge of the horizon,
And there be taken up by
The morning noon and evening.

Mice in a field,
We’re nothinig but
Mice in a field.
So why are we always surprised
That it hurts?

Myši v poli

Ráno poledne večer
Nebudem uhýbat
Až bude jen trochu líp
Zastavíme se na pláži

Ta pláž se vymyká
Prostě popsat nejde
Sedneme si do písku
Počkáme ráno poledne večer

Nikdy jsme nežili co se s náma stane
Dosud jsme nežili čas má svůj čas
Nebe jsme se ptali voda nic neřekla
Stromy se schoulily myši v poli
V hlubokém údivu na sebe máváme
Že ještě jsme že tu jsme

Ráno poledne večer
Mlýny samý mlýny
Až na pláži bez konce
Všichni se nadechnem

Budeme se tisknout
Až k okraji obzoru
Tam si nás vezme
Ráno poledne večer

Myši v poli
Jsme jenom
Myši v poli
Tak proč se furt divíme
Že nás to bolí?