From: alex@took.enet.dec.com (Alex 226-5350 LKG2-2/T2 06-Oct-1992 1109)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet
Subject: RE: Krivaja da neljogkaja (Crooked and heavy/tough)
Date: 6 Oct 92 15:53:23 GMT
Reply-To: "soc.culture.soviet via ListServ" <SCS-L@indycms.iupui.edu>

First of all, I thank Polina Antonova and Grigory Voykhansky for posting
two versions of the song. There exists also a most striking final verse
that is absent in most of the versions I have heard. I will post that
verse (from memory) below.

Grigory further writes:

> the text of this song was modified and sought in variantsa lot of times. I,
> personally have at least 4 versions of this songs...no I just checked it is 3.
> Vladimir Vysotski wrote a lot of poetry, and all of them involved a lot of
> soul, a lot of energy and super emotianal aproach so Vysotskii changed his
> songs while  preformances, he did it not by his brain...but by his soul. You
> can often hear when his performance on concerts when he suddenly correcting
> himselve on texts,  that what i mean.

I quite agree. I note that the published version is titled "Dve Sud'by"
(The two fates), however in one of the recordings that I've heard, Wysocki
himself introduces the song as "Krivaja da neljogkaja" (Crooked and heavy/
tough). I believe the latter is more striking, especially since the word
"sud'ba" (fate/lot) first appears only towards the end of the song.

I re-post Grigory's original version (in upper case) because it is better
linked with the final verse that I add. The final verse sheds a lot of
light on the possible meaning of the song. In the future I'll attempt to
provide a (necessarily primitive) translation into Englishalong with my
interpretation. (My additions/changes are in the lower case below.)

Do persevere to the final four verses I added -- they're worth it.

Regards,
Alex

 DVE SUD'BU

or: "Krivaja da neljogkaja"

ZHIL IA SLAVNO V PERVOI TRETI -
DVADTSAT' LET NA BELOM SVETE,
   PO VLECHENIIU.
/ or po ucheniju (!!!), as in Polina's version /

ZHIL BEZBEDNO no PRI DELE,
PLUL KUDA GLAZA GLIADELI-
   PO TECHENIIU.

DUMAL: VOT ONA, NAGRADA-
VED' NE VESLAMI NE NADO,
  NI LADONIAMI...

KOMARY, CLEPNI DA OSU
DONIMALI, KROVOSOSU,
  DA NE DONIALI!

SLySHAL S BEREGA VNACHALE
MNE O POMOSHCHI KRICHALI,
     O SPASENII...

NE DOZHDALIS', BEDOLAGI:
IA LEZHAL, CHUMNOI OT BRAGI,
   V RASSLABLENII. /or v otkliuchenii/

KRUTANET LI V POVOROTE,
ZAVERNET V VODOVOROTE-
   VSE ISPAVIT'SIA.

TO RAZUIUS' TO OBUIUS'
NA SEBIA V VODE LIUBUIUS'-
     OCHEN' NRAVIT'SIA
   (sometimes BRAGU KUSHAIU)

BEREGA TEKUT ZA LODKU-
NU, A IA LASKAIU GLODKU
  MEDOVUKHOIU.

POSLE LISHNEGO GLOTOCHKU-
GLIAD'; PLUVU NE V ODINOCHKU-
   SO STARUKHOIU.

I POKA IA UDIVLIALSIA-
PAL TUMAN I OKAZALSIA
    V GIBLOM MESTE IA.

I OGROMNAIA STARUKHA
KHOKHOTNULA PRIAMO V UKHO,
   ZLAIA BESTIIA.

IA KRICHU- NE SLUSHU KRIKA,
NE VIAZHU OT STRAKHA LUKA,
   VIZHU PLOKHO IA,

NA VETRU MENIA KACHAET...
"KTO ZDES'?" SLYSHU OTVECHAET:
         "IA, NELEGKAIA!"

BROS' KRESTITSA, PRICHITAIA,
NE SPASET TEBIA SVIATAIA
  BOGORODITSA!

Tekh KTO RUL' DA VESLA BROSIT,
TEKH NELEGKAIA ZANOSIT-
   TAK UZH VODITSIA"

I V POT'MAKH ISHCHU DOROGU
MEDOVUKHU PONEMNOGU-
   TOL'KO PO STY P'IU.

A ONA NE ZASYPAET,
VPEREDI MENIA STUPAET
   TIAZHKOI POSTUP'IU.

VOT SPOTKNULAS' OB KOREN'IA
OT BOL'SHOGO OZHIREN'IA
   GNUSNO /or tiazhko/ OKHAIA,

U NEE ODYSHKA DAZHE,
A ZANOSIT VED' TUDA ZHE,
   TVAR' NELEGKHAIA.

VDRUG NAVSTRECHU NAM ZHIVAIA
KOLCHENOGAIA KRIVAIA-
    MMORDA KHITRAIA.

"TY,-KRICHIT,-STOISH' NAD BEZDNOI,
IA SPASU TEBIA BOLEZNOI,
    SLEZY VUTRU IA!"

IA SPROSIL: "TU KTO TAKAIA?"
A ONA MENE "IA, KRIVAIA,
   Vot, mol, vyvezu ..."

I -KHOTIA IA KRIVIBOKA,
KRIVORUKA, KRIVOOKA-
   IA, MOL VYVEZU...

IA VOSKLIKNUL, NALIVAIA:
"VyVOZI MENIA, KRIVAIA,
   IA NA PRIVIAZI.
IA TEBE I ZHBAN POSTAVLIU,
KRIVEZNU TVOIU ISPRAVLIU-
     TOL'KO VUVEZI!

I TY NELEGKHAIA MAMANIA,
NA-KA ISTINU V STAKANE,
/or: na-ka vypej pol glotochka/
   BOL'NO NERVNAIA!

TY ZABUD' SEBIA NA VREMIA,
/or: ty zabud' MENIA na vremia/
TY ZHE TOLSTAIA V GAREME
    BUDESH' PERVAIA!"

I UPALI DVE STARUKHI
U BUTYLKI MEDOVUKHI
   V P'IAN' ISTEREKU.

IA POKA ZA KOCHKI PRIACHUS',
OZIRAIUS', ZADOM PIACHUS'
    PRIAMO K BEREGU.

LIKHO  VUGREB NA STREMNINU-
V DVA GREBKA, NA SEREDINU.
   OKH, PROIDOKHA IA!

CHTOB VY SDOKHLI, VUPIVAIA,
DVE SUD'BU MOI-KRIVAIA
   DA NELEGKHAIA!
                            --- Final verses not present in most versions
                                along with my modest translation:

Znat' po zlobnomu raschetu,    |  This means that according to
Da po tainomu ch'emu-to        |  somebody's evil calculations,
   popecheniu,                 |  and secret guardianship,

Ne vezlo mne obormotu,         |  The fool that I am had no luck,
I taschilo balamuta -          |  and I was carried with the flow,
   po techeniu.                |  the troublemaker that I am.

Ia-to dumal, vot otrada,       |  I thought, here's the joy --
ved' ne veslami ne nado,       |  there is no need to row,
   okh, proidokha ia.          |  truly I am a scoundrel.

Udalilis' podvyvaja,           |  They left, howling, my two fates,
dve sud'by moi krivaja         |  crooked and heavy...
   da neljogkaja...