When I am too weak to get over a blow,
When I feel that creeping despair,
I hope on the blue midnight trolley, just so,
The last trolley there.
The last midnight trolley, keep speeding your wheels,
Keep sending the promising message,
To find in the night everybody who feels
Like wreckage.
The last midnight trolley, I'm counting on you!
I know that when misery breaks me,
At shivering midnight, your passenger crew
Will come to the rescue.
Together we often left trouble behind,
I knew of their presence and kindness..
It's hard to imagine the comfort you find
In silence.
The last midnight trolley is gliding ahead
In Moscow's softening glimmer...
And woodpecker pain that was pecking my head
Gets dimmer.
***
Когда мне невмочь пересилить беду,
Когда подступает отчаянье,
Я в синий троллейбус сажусь на ходу,
В последний, случайный.
Полночный троллейбус, по улицам мчи,
Верши по бульварам круженье,
Чтоб всех подобрать, потерпевших в ночи
Крушенье, крушенье!
Полночный троллейбус, мне дверь отвори!
Я знаю, как в зябкую полночь
Твои пассажиры - матросы твои -
Приходят на помощь.
Я с ними не раз уходил от беды,
Я к ним прикасался плечами...
Как много, представьте себе, доброты
В молчанье, в молчанье.
Полночный троллейбус плывет по Москве,
Москва, как река, затухает...
И боль, что скворчонком стучала в виске,
Стихает, стихает.
Bulat Okudzhava Midnight Trolley English
© Copyright: Евгения Саркисьянц, 2011
Свидетельство о публикации №111011001038
Свидетельство о публикации №111011001038
Рецензии
Here is another translation, by Alec Vagapov, also not without merits:
THE LAST TROLLEY BUS
When I’m in trouble and totally done
and when all my hope I abandon
I get on the blue trolley bus on the run,
the last one,
at random.
Night trolley, roll on sliding down the street,
around the boulevards keep moving
to pick up all those who are wrecked and in need
of rescue
from ruin.
Night trolley bus will you please open your doors !
On wretched cold nights, I can instance,
your sailors would come, as a matter of course,
to render
assistance.
So many a time they have lent me a hand
to help me get out of grievance...
Imagine, there is so much kindness behind
this silence
and stillness.
Last trolley rolls round the greenery belt
and Moscow, like river, dies down...
the hammering blood in my temples I felt
calms down
calms down.
Александр Гивенталь 12.04.2011 11:52 • Заявить о нарушении
THE LAST TROLLEY BUS
When I’m in trouble and totally done
and when all my hope I abandon
I get on the blue trolley bus on the run,
the last one,
at random.
Night trolley, roll on sliding down the street,
around the boulevards keep moving
to pick up all those who are wrecked and in need
of rescue
from ruin.
Night trolley bus will you please open your doors !
On wretched cold nights, I can instance,
your sailors would come, as a matter of course,
to render
assistance.
So many a time they have lent me a hand
to help me get out of grievance...
Imagine, there is so much kindness behind
this silence
and stillness.
Last trolley rolls round the greenery belt
and Moscow, like river, dies down...
the hammering blood in my temples I felt
calms down
calms down.
Александр Гивенталь 12.04.2011 11:52 • Заявить о нарушении
I like it! The one line that concerns me is "your sailors ..." - I'm not sure it is clear to an English native reader what sailors it's talking about; it then needs a line to come before this one, which would compare the trolley to a ship (maybe through choice of a verb). Then it will make sense.
In general, I like to see Okudzhava translated. He is one of my most favorite poets for sure and I can never get quite to the bottom of his verse: it is bottomless. It is always a pleasure to find soul mates who are moved enough by his poetry to attempt translating it.
Евгения Саркисьянц 12.04.2011 20:45 Заявить о нарушении
In general, I like to see Okudzhava translated. He is one of my most favorite poets for sure and I can never get quite to the bottom of his verse: it is bottomless. It is always a pleasure to find soul mates who are moved enough by his poetry to attempt translating it.
Евгения Саркисьянц 12.04.2011 20:45 Заявить о нарушении
На это произведение написаны 2 рецензии, здесь отображается последняя, остальные - в полном списке.