Будь храброй, душа — Take Courage

Interesting song.  Nice words.  Since the lyrics runs side-by-side, I was intrigued by how different the Russian lyrics were from the English.  So I here give you the literal, word-for-word translation of the Russian.

Please note: this is not criticism of the translator.  Rather it is informative.  Translation is always at a risk of loosing some meaning.  Translating lyrics to match the existing musical structure and keep a sense of the rhyme scheme while maintaining integrity in the new language is all that much more difficult.  I salute those who try and succeed!


Будь храброй, душа
Bud khrabroi, dusha
Be brave, soul

  1 куплет:   (verse)
Спокойно стой,
Spokoyno stoy,
Calmly stand,

Прими покой -
Primi pokoy -
Accept peace/quietude —

Совершит всё Господь.
Sovershit vso Gospod'.
Will accomplish all [the] Lord (ie, The Lord will accomplish all)

Все мысли Его
Vse mysli Yego
All thoughts [of] His

Выше наших путей.
Vyshe nashikh putey.
Above our ways.

Путь Его так велик!
Put' Yego tak velik!
path [of] His [is] so great!


  Припев:  (Chorus)
Будь храброй, душа,
Bud' khrabroy, dusha,
Be brave/courageous, soul,

И стой до конца,
I stoi do kontsa,
And stand until [the] end,

Господь - Он рядом,
Gospod' — On ryadom,
[The] Lord — He [is] near,

Господь - Он рядом...
Gospod' — On ryadom...
[The] Lord — He [is] near...

Надеждой крепись,
Nadezhdoi krepis',
[By/through] Hope [you] stand (imperative, imperfect)

До победы держись,
Do pobedy derzhis',
Until victory [you] hold on (imperative, imperfect)

Не подведёт Бог!
Ne podvedyot Bog!
Not will fail God!

Не подведёт Бог!
Ne podvedyot Bog!
Not will fail God!


  2 куплет:  (verse)
Душа моя,
Dusha moya,
Soul [of] mine,

Славь Господа!
Slava Gospoda!
Praise [the] Lord!

Силу в Нём ты найдёшь.
Sili v Nyom ty naidyosh'.
Strength in Him you will find.

Не забывай
Ne zabyvai
[Do] Not forget

Верности Его –
Vernocti Yego —
Faithfulness [of] His —

Он проложит Свой путь!
On prolozhit Svoi put'!
He will make/clear His way!


Бридж:    (bridge)
Все звёзды держишь Ты,
Vsye zvyozdy derzhish' Ty,
All [the] stars keep/hold You,  (Ie, You keep all the stars,)

В Твоих руках весь мир!
V Tvoikh rukakh vec' mir!
In Your hands [the] whole world!

Исполнишь всё, что Ты обещал,
Ispolnish' vsyo, chto Ty obeshchal,
[You] will fulfill all, that You promised,

В победе я вновь поднимусь!
V pobede ya vnov' podnimus'!
In victory I again will arise!

BACK TO INDEX OF OTHER RUSSIAN SONGS

Here and Again Farewell — Вот И Опять Прощание

На те случаи жизни, когда приходится говорить "до свидания". Может быть ненадолго, а может навсегда...
On those occasions when you have to say "good-bye."  Maybe for a while, maybe forever...

— Simon's introduction to this music video

Вот и опять прощание,

Vot i opyat' proshchaniye,

Here and then again parting (farewell),

Снова вокзал и дороги...

Snova vokzal i dorogi...

Again [the] station] and [the] roads...

Последнее пожелание,

Posledneye pozhelaniye,

[A] last wish,

Краткое слово: "С Богом!"

Kratkoe slovo: “S Bogom!”

[A] brief word:  “With God!”

Припев:     Chorus:

   С Богом в дорогу дальнюю,

   S Bogom v dorogu dal'nyuyu,

   With God on road long,

   С Богом на труд и страдания.

   S Bogom na trud i stradaniya.

   With God in labor and trouble

   Видно далекое зарево,

   Vidno dalekoye zarevo,

   It looks like [a] distant gleam,

   С Богом, друзья, до свидания!

   S Bogom, druz'ya, do svidaniya!

   With God, friends, good-bye!

Скоро ль придется встретиться

Skoro l' pridetsya vstretit'sya

Soon if [you] have to meet

В жизненном море скитания?

V zhiznennom more skitaniya?

In life sea [of] wandering?

А горизонт все светится,

A gorizont vse svetitsya,

But horizon all glowing,

С Богом, друзья, до свидания.

S Bogom, druz'ya, do svidaniya.

With God, friends, good-bye.

Жизнь наша скоротечная,

Zhizn' nasha skorotechnaya,

Life [of] ours [is] fleeting,

В небо - одно лишь желание.

V nebo - odno lish' zhelaniye.

In heaven — one only desire.

На смену придет жизнь вечная,

Na smenu pridet zhizn' vechnaya,

Unto change will come life eternal,

Скажем: "Земля, до свидания!"

Skazhem: "Zemlya, do svidaniya!"

[We] will say: “Earth, good-bye!”

BACK TO INDEX

Wayfaring Stranger — Странник

1.

Я просто бедный нищий странник

Ya prosto bednyy nishchiy strannik

I [am] just [a] poor needy stranger

Иду по жизни, тьма вокруг,

Idu po zhizni, t'ma vokrug,

[I] go through life, darkness around,

Но нет скорбей и нет страданий

No net skorbey i net stradaniy

But no sorrow and no suffering

В родной земле, куда иду

V rodnoy zemle, kuda idu

In native land, where [I] go.

       Иду домой увидеть папу,

       Idu domoy uvidet' papu,

       [I] go home to see Papa

       И всех друзей, ушедших вдаль

       I vsekh druzey, ushedshikh vdal'

       And all friends, gone away

       Здесь на земле я просто странник,

       Zdes' na zemle ya prosto strannik,

       Here on earth I [am] just [a] stranger,

       Иду домой, чтоб отдыхать.

       Idu domoy, chtob otdykhat'.

       I go (Or I am going) home, so that to rest.

2.
Хоть тучи надо мной сгустились

Khot' tuchi nado mnoy sgustilis'

Although clouds over me thicken

И полон путь суровых бед,

I polon put' surovykh bed,

And full path severe troubles

    (ie, And the path is full of severe troubles)

Я вижу нивы золотые

Ya vizhu nivy zolotyye

I see fields of gold

В земле где горя больше нет

V zemle gde gorya bol'she net

In [the] land where grief anymore [is] not.

       Иду домой увидеть маму,

       Idu domoy uvidet' mamu,

       I go home to see Mama,

       Она сказала будет ждать

       Ona skazala budet zhdat';

       She said [she] will wait;

       Здесь на земле я просто странник,

       Zdes' na zemle ya prosto strannik,

       Here on earth I [am] just [a] stranger,

       Иду домой, чтоб отдыхать.

       Idu domoy, chtob otdykhat'.

       I [am] going home, so that to rest.

3.

Страданье кончится земное

 Stradan'ye konchitsya zemnoye

 Misery will end earthly

    (ie, earthly misery will end)

Мой узкий путь придёт к концу

Moy uzkiy put' pridot k kontsu

My narrow path will come to [an] end

Я крест сложу борьбы с собою

Ya krest slozhu bor'by s soboyu

I [the] cross will lay [down] struggles with it

    (ie, I will lay down the cross and struggles with it)

И в небо возвращусь к Отцу

I v nebo vozvrashchus' k Ottsu

And in heaven [I] will return to [the] Father.

          —— Repeat 2x ———

       Иду домой, там мой Спаситель,

       Idu domoy, tam moy Spasitel',

       I'm going home, there [is] my Savior,

       Кто за меня кровь проливал;

       Kto za menya krov' prolival;

       Who for me blood shed;

       Я просто бедный нищий странник

       Ya prosto bednyy nishchiy strannik

       I [am] just [a] poor needy stranger

       Иду домой, чтоб отдыхать

       Idu domoy, chtob otdykhat'

       I'm going home, so that to rest.

BACK TO INDEX

On Easter

I want to consider three verses that usually are not read together at Easter.  But hopefully, you will eventually see why I chose these.

"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."
Luke 2:7

"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
Phil 2:8

"And Joseph bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre."
Mark 15:46

These three verses are the three pivotal points in Christianity.  Christ came; Christ died; and Christ was buried.  —That's not the end of the story—more in a moment.  But consider these three events.  Christ did not choose the most glamorous or the most popular or the most expensive items to mark the stations of His life.  He started His earthly life in a feeding trough.  He ended His life on the most despised and loathsome symbols of execution.  His body rested in a hole in a rock. 

Yet, God chooses things that are not important in the world's eyes.  He uses weak and frail things to accomplish His mighty purposes.

I said that those three points were not the end of the story.  There is Easter.  After the Cross, there is Resurrection.  After the suffering, there is triumph.  Paul writes that Christ, "having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross" (Col. 2:15).

Now the days of humility are gone.  Instead, Christ is glorified:
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.  (Phil. 2:9 - 11)


And for those who trust in Him, believing in all that He did for us, there is victory too.  For us, death, while still unknown and perhaps foreboding, no longer holds the sting and the dread of eternal punishment.

 “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Cor. 15:54 - 57

O God, Linger Not in Rest

Psalm 83

(NIV)  O God, do not remain silent;
      do not turn a deaf ear,
      do not stand aloof, O God.

(KJV)  Keep not thou silence, O God:
      hold not thy peace,
      and be not still, O God.

(Rus)  Боже! Не премолчи,
      не безмолвствуй
      и не оставайся в покое, Боже.
         
      O God! Do not refrain from disclosing,
      Do not be silent,
      and do not remain/linger in rest

One can immediately get the sense of how desperate the psalmist felt as he penned this prayer, pouring his petitions out to his God.  The imagery of verse one, regardless of which translation, shows that the psalmist feels that God is not watching, is not caring, is not acting.  I found the Russian ("...and do not linger in rest") especially powerful.

But Psalm 83 is purposely place right after Psalm 82 for a very important reason.  Psalm 82 announces triumphantly that God reigns, He stands, He presides in the great assembly.  That is, Psalm 82 is to set the stage of our understanding so that when times of distress come upon us and our physical eyes and our natural understanding see not God, we will instead remember that God reigns: He presides, He stands, He acts, and He renders judgment!

We must remind ourselves that God does not linger in rest—indeed He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  His eye is ever upon us His children.  He is ever ready to hear us.  Go then to His throne of grace to receive grace and mercy for your time of need!

Psalm 82

(NIV)  God presides in the great assembly;
      he renders judgment among the “gods”—

(KJV)  God standeth in the congregation of the mighty;
      he judgeth among the gods.

(Rus)  Бог стал в сонме богов;
      среди богов произнес суд.
     
      God stood in the crowd of gods;
      among the gods [He] delivered/uttered judgment.