Song, Excellent Sea Is The Holy Baikal... - Transl.(Rus.) Poem by Lyudmila Purgina

Song, Excellent Sea Is The Holy Baikal... - Transl.(Rus.)



By Dmitry Pavlovich Davydov

Excellent sea is the holy Baikal,
* Baikal is the great lake in Western Siberia
Excellent ship is the barrel from omul.
* Omul - is the endemical fish, living in Baikal
Hey, Barguzin-wind give force to your tide,
* Barguzin - is the name of one of mountain ridges around
Baikal
It's not so far to sail over.

I was for long holding chains on my hands,
Longly I wandered through Akatuy ridges.
My faithful friend helped me once to escape,
I grew alive in the freedom.
Shilka and Nerchinsk - no problem today,
* Shilka and Nerchinsk - were the siberian state prison
mines in the times of tzar regime
The mining guards failed to catch me in running,
In woods I was lucky to be a prey,
Past was the bullet of gunner.

I went at night and at middle of day,
I was so cautious near the towns.
Women of peasants presented me bread,
Fellows gave me tobacco.

And I enjoyed floating on pine-log
Across the deep and impetious rivers.
When river shallow, I went by a frod,
Forward and forward through thickets.

I got a funk, coming to great Baikal,
There was no chance to cross it with no boat,
But, going along shore, long and wide,
I met the barrel from omul.

With no thought (God was blessing me thus) ,
I took the barrel, that was worth to bull, though.
Coward in all cases will sink in Baikal,
Brave man will win in the barrel.

It would be tight for the omuls to sit
In such a barrel, so, fishes, be quiet -
If you one time the Akatuy's prison meet,
Then you should get into barrel!

Four days I have been revolving on waves
With my armyak like a sail, hole-ridden.
* Armyak -peasant's coat of heavy cloth
That was a good boat for me to sail,
Only with some coarse appearance.

Look, here's near the forest and shore,
Where I can hide in the shadows now.
Though it is safe to be here for long,
Damn, I am sad of my home!

Excellent sea is the holy Baikal,
Excellent ship is the barrel from omul.
Hey, Barguzin-wind give force to your tide,
It's not so far to sail over.

-
The old russian son of 19-20 centuries

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Lyudmila Purgina

Lyudmila Purgina

Russian Federation
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