The meaning of the lyrics of the song "The Ballad of the Abandoned Ship" (Ballada o broschennom korable) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

The captain was called "thou" that day,

Skipper and cabin boy, equal in their talents;

Straightening their backs and ripping off their bandages,

The sailors raged upon the yards.

The doors of our minds

Were torn off their hinges

To mirages of shores,

To blankets of lands,

Those promised, desired -

Both Columbian and Magellanic.

Only I can't see

Any shores or lands -

At nine knots' speed

I've run aground!

And all the brave lads -

Have a noble goal...

And in the end -

I ran aground myself.

And the ships sailed away - my brothers, my fleet -

Those more sensitive - swallowed a spray of tears.

Without me, the great voyage continued,

And at me, they waved their sails.

And cursing both weather and chance,

My darlings in a heap

Abandoned me.

Two volleys from the boats - and that's it! -

From Columbus and Magellan.

I drink the foam - the wave

Doesn't reach my mouth,

And from decks to bottom

The sides are bare,

And my sides are dirty -

Hide it or not -

So admire my ulcers

And my wounds!

Here's a hole by the ribs - that's a trace of a cannonball,

Here are scars from a ram, and even

Scars from hooks are visible - some pirate

Broke my spine in a boarding.

The keel - like an old uneven

Guitar fret:

This belly was ripped open for me

By a coral reef.

I'm suffocating, rotting - it happens:

And what's salted rots.

The winds drink my blood

And whistle through the cracks

Straight from the tank to the poop deck -

The winds will finish me off:

I stand beneath them

From morning till morning -

The winds hammer nails

Into my soul.

And like a reckless reveler, they toss everything upside down,

These winds - uninvited guests -

I wish they'd choke on the wine in my holds

Or - tear me off the shallows in their rage!

I believed in this,

Like a hunted beast,

But it's not angry winds

That I need now.

My masts - like feeble arms,

Sails - like an old woman's breasts.

There will be an eighth wonder -

And a kind surge

Will wash my body

With living water,

God's sea dew

Will lift the taboo from me -

It will inflate my sails,

Like veins on a forehead.

I will catch up with mine, I will catch up and forgive

The armada that forgot to remember.

And I will let my crew go back:

I hold no grudge against my crew.

Only, it seems, there's no

More room in the ranks.

That's a bad joke, corvette,

Move over - I'll squeeze in!

How could you - I'm your brother,

I escaped misfortune...

A little to the left, frigate, -

There's enough water for all of us!

What have you come to:

So what - should I leave?!

If I was aground -

Is there no further path?!

Open your ranks,

We are all ships after all -

There's enough water for all of us,

There's enough land for all of us,

That promised, desired -

Both Columbian and Magellanic!

Капитана в тот день называли на "ты",

Шкипер с юнгой сравнялись в талантах;

Распрямляя хребты и срывая бинты,

Бесновались матросы на вантах.

Двери наших мозгов

Посрывало с петель

В миражи берегов,

В покрывала земель,

Этих обетованных, желанных -

И колумбовых, и магелланных.

Только мне берегов

Не видать и земель -

С хода в девять узлов

Сел по горло на мель!

А у всех молодцов -

Благородная цель...

И в конце-то концов -

Я ведь сам сел на мель.

И ушли корабли - мои братья, мой флот, -

Кто чувствительней - брызги сглотнули.

Без меня продолжался великий поход,

На меня ж парусами махнули.

И погоду и случай

Безбожно кляня,

Мои пасынки кучей

Бросали меня.

Вот со шлюпок два залпа - и ладно!-

От Колумба и от Магеллана.

Я пью пену - волна

Не доходит до рта,

И от палуб до дна

Обнажились борта,

А бока мои грязны -

Таи не таи, -

Так любуйтесь на язвы

И раны мои!

Вот дыра у ребра - это след от ядра,

Вот рубцы от тарана, и даже

Видны шрамы от крючьев - какой-то пират

Мне хребет перебил в абордаже.

Киль - как старый неровный

Гитаровый гриф:

Это брюхо вспорол мне

Коралловый риф.

Задыхаюсь, гнию - так бывает:

И просоленное загнивает.

Ветры кровь мою пьют

И сквозь щели снуют

Прямо с бака на ют, -

Меня ветры добьют:

Я под ними стою

От утра до утра, -

Гвозди в душу мою

Забивают ветра.

И гулякой шальным все швыряют вверх дном

Эти ветры - незваные гости, -

Захлебнуться бы им в моих трюмах вином

Или - с мели сорвать меня в злости!

Я уверовал в это,

Как загнанный зверь,

Но не злобные ветры

Нужны мне теперь.

Мои мачты - как дряблые руки,

Паруса - словно груди старухи.

Будет чудо восьмое -

И добрый прибой

Мое тело омоет

Живою водой,

Моря божья роса

С меня снимет табу -

Вздует мне паруса,

Словно жилы на лбу.

Догоню я своих, догоню и прощу

Позабывшую помнить армаду.

И команду свою я обратно пущу:

Я ведь зла не держу на команду.

Только, кажется, нет

Больше места в строю.

Плохо шутишь, корвет,

Потеснись - раскрою!

Как же так - я ваш брат,

Я ушел от беды...

Полевее, фрегат, -

Всем нам хватит воды!

До чего ж вы дошли:

Значит, что - мне уйти?!

Если был на мели -

Дальше нету пути?!

Разомкните ряды,

Все же мы - корабли, -

Всем нам хватит воды,

Всем нам хватит земли,

Этой обетованной, желанной -

И колумбовой, и магелланной!

In "The Ballad of the Abandoned Ship," Vladimir Vysotsky uses the metaphor of a ship run aground to tell the story of a person experiencing betrayal and loneliness. The lyrical hero, the ship, was once part of a fleet, but after the wreck, he was left alone, abandoned by his "brothers."

The poem can be divided into three semantic blocks, reflecting the stages of the hero's experiences:

1. Realization of Betrayal and Loneliness:

The hero bitterly recalls the time when he was part of the team, when everyone was striving for a common goal. He compares himself to Columbus and Magellan, recalling the glorious past, the thirst for discoveries and adventures. But now he is alone, left to the mercy of fate, and his former comrades continue their journey without him.

2. Pain and Despair:

The abandoned ship is gradually being destroyed. Physical damage – holes, scars from collisions – become a metaphor for the hero's emotional wounds. He feels forgotten, unnecessary, he is "drunk by the winds," and "nails are driven into his soul." This image conveys the depth of despair and pain he is experiencing.

3. Hope and Desire to Return:

Despite all the suffering, the hero does not lose hope of salvation. He believes in a miracle that will help him get back in line. He dreams that the "good surf" will wash away the "taboo" of loneliness from him and he will again become part of the fleet.

The image of "living water" washing the ship symbolizes purification and rebirth. The hero believes that he will be able to catch up with his "brothers" and they will take him back, because he "holds no evil."

The ending of the ballad remains open:

On the one hand, the hero calls to "open ranks" and give him a place, recalling that they are all "ships" and they have one goal.

On the other hand, the question "Does that mean I have to leave?" sounds like a bitter admission of the possibility that his place is already taken and there is no turning back.

"The Ballad of the Abandoned Ship" is not just a story about a shipwreck. It is a philosophical reflection on loyalty and betrayal, on hope and despair, on finding one's place in life and how important it is to remain human, even when faced with betrayal and loneliness.