I.Talkov 'Gentlemen-Democrats', Translation Of The Song From Russian Poem by Victor Sklyarov

Gentlemen-democrats of the nineteenth century
We would very much like to have all you revived
So that you see our present successes
And we would be able to give you rewards.
Each of us all would express his own gratitude:
The farmer – by sickle, the worker – by pick,
The imprisoned – by shackles, by prosthesis- ex-soldier
But as to myself – oh, I would have used brick.
High class! High class!
The USA and Europe prosper
High class! High class!
And we are left with bare…

Gentlemen-democrats of the nineteenth century
Why were you striving and threatening the Crown,
The nature’s not stupid and God isn’t a venture
And you have ignored them and didn’t account
Perhaps you have been planning arrangement of borders,
Restructuring everything – fool's haste is no speed
But the nature can’t follow your stupid orders
And God never reads leaflets with any decrees
High class! High class! The USA and Europe prosper
High class! High class! And we are left with bare…

Gentlemen-democrats, you know the example
When your own good colleagues had inspired the bloodshed
Killed the aristocrats – the enlightment was ample,
Paris won’t wash from this, though it’s so well-bred.
The truth-seeker Radischev having learned of this carnage
Had almost chewed up his rebellious novel
He took leave of his senses and he stared at garbage
And cursing freemasons sat blankly in hovel.
High class! High class! The USA and Europe prosper
High class! High class! And we are left with bare…

Gentlemen-democrats, hurry up to arise, flirts,
Take a seat at the court, and be judged by fooled mass:
Time to answer for words, Chernyshevskiy and Hertson,
And the dreamer Belinsky, and the wizard Karl Max;
You will answer as well, those who came after them
To deprive our people of land and of justice.
You have turned free-born Russians into bondmen
Into prison you turned the very Great Russia!
High class! High class! The USA and Europe prosper
High class! High class! And we are left with bare…

Ad astra per aspera!