Hey, sailor
Tý moryak, tý krasivý sam saboyu,
t'bye atrodu dvatsat' lyet.
Palyubi minya so fsyey dushoyu!
Shto tý skazhesh mnye f atvyet?
Hey, sailor, you are so beautiful
and just twenty years old.
Love me with all your soul!
What do you answer me?
Po moryam, po volnam,
nýntshe zdyes, a zaftra tam.
Po moryam, moryam, moryam, moryam,
nýntshe zdyes, a zaftra tam.
Across the seas, across the waves,
today here, and tomorrow there.
Across the seas, the seas, the seas,
today here, and tomorrow there.
Tý moryak,
tý uyedish f sinye morye,
m'nya ostavish f silnom gorye,
i ya budu plakat' i rýdat'
i t'bya, moi milý, fspominat'.
Hey, sailor, you go away across the blue sea,
you leave me alone in my grief,
and I will cry and sob
and think of you, my dear.
Po moryam, po volnam,
nýntshe zdyes, a zaftra tam.
Po moryam, moryam, moryam, moryam,
nýntshe zdyes, a zaftra tam.
Across the seas, across the waves,
today here, and tomorrow there.
Across the seas, the seas, the seas,
today here, and tomorrow there.
Oy, nye platsh, nye platsh, maya Marusya,
ya morskomu dyelu na-utshusya
i nazad, skorey nazad vernusya
na tibya, krasavitsa, shenyusya!
Oh, don't cry, don't cry, my Marusya,
I will study seamanship,
and I'll be back as soon as possible
and marry you, my beautiful girl!
Po moryam, po volnam,
nýntshe zdyes, a zaftra tam.
Po moryam, moryam, moryam, moryam,
nýntshe zdyes, a zaftra tam.
Across the seas, across the waves,
today here, and tomorrow there.
Across the seas, the seas, the seas,
today here, and tomorrow there.
Shto za zhizn moryaka,
tak privolna i lekhka!
Ot zemli i k nyebesam,
sivodnya zdyes, a zaftra tam!
What a life has a sailor
so free and easy!
Away from the land, and towards the skies,
today here, and tomorrow there!
Po moryam, po volnam,
nýntshe zdyes, a zaftra tam.
Po moryam, moryam, moryam, moryam,
nýntshe zdyes, a zaftra tam.
Across the seas, across the waves,
today here, and tomorrow there.
Across the seas, the seas, the seas,
today here, and tomorrow there.
Words and music: Russian sailor's song,
originally from the Caspian Sea
Pronunciation:
a as in "bar", e as in "bed", i as in "bid", o as in "bore", u as in "blue"
y = as in "yellow" /
ý = dull i, as in "bill"
s = always voiceless, as in "son" / z = voiced, as in "zone"
sh = voiceless, as in "mesh" / zh = voiced, like the s in "measure"
kh = mostly rough, like the ch in Scotch "loch", but smooth when "e" or "i" follows
a, e, i, o, u, y
= the underlined vowel signifies the stressed syllable of a word.
Arrangement for balalaika, musical notation,
transcription and analogous translation: Kai Kracht
Comment:
This sailor's song, like the english "sea shanties",
origininally was a worksong
in the old days of the sailships:
The rhythm of the song was the working stroke
for the crew to put their back with full power again and again
into heaving up the anchour or reefing the large sails.
So, traditionally the verses are sung by a shantyman alone.
The shantyman also sings the first two words of the chorus:
"Po moryam", and then the crew answers: "po volnam",
the shantyman again: "nýntshe zdyes",
and the crew goes on: "a zaftra tam ..."
and sings the rest of the chorus altogether.
© Kai Kracht 2002