The meaning of the lyrics of the song "The Ballad of Cokellion" (Ballada o Kokilone) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

Once upon a time, lived a modest teacher, Coquillon.

He loved to dabble in science.

A bow to the ground for the fact that he

Was in love with chemistry,

And at night, over something there

Coquillon was conducting chemical experiments.

But, a martyr of science, persecuted and destitute,

Always in the eyes of the crowd he’s an alchemist-charlatan, -

And from his beloved school in two counts was dismissed,

Or rather, run out on three necks, an unrecognized titan.

The titan held a laboratory

And there

He created and thought, and dared.

Just like that, not for a million,

Into a two-day broth

He managed to throw everything he had,

The great Coquillon.

We would have thrown stones at Newton,

We would have been tarred and feathered for such a thing!

But chance did not allow to spit on Coquillon, -

One day, in a hellish mixture, jelly fermented.

The broth

Shook the inventor, -

It was

Nothing: neither liquid nor gas.

And he was confused and shocked,

And even surprised.

“Aha! Ha-ha! Oh, eureka!”-

Exclaimed Coquillon.

For three days he amused himself by playing the piano,

At the very bottom, in dry wine, he sought the truth ...

Suddenly he said clearly: “What the hell!. ”-

And with a firm gait he walked towards the house.

During the day, he

Was prone to thoughts and dreams,

But in him

Passions boiled at night.

And so, intent on searching,

Incinerated by a dream,

In one moment, into the experiment

Coquillon got involved.

His soul asked, and his flesh wanted

To get to the truth, to the goal and to the bottom, -

Check the state of the mysterious body,

Find out what it is: he or she?

But there was

And in this experience, a flaw -

Forgot

The fanatic is dead about the tap.

In pursuit of discovery, he

Was too inflamed -

And suddenly mistakenly pressed

The tap Coquillon.

And he shouted, insane: “But this is a colloid!

This is not a liquid, brothers, - colloidal gas! ”

So, flashing in science, like an asteroid in the sky,

He exploded - and in a hiss he died untimely.

And so -

So in this gas he lies,

People

Cherish his discovery.

But he is not dead - he is asleep, -

He will be awakened

Through the centuries. Sleep for now,

Great Coquillon!

And we, kneeling down, look reverently.

There are few like him - four in a million!

Let's take Newton, Bohr and old Einstein,

Here are three great men, - the fourth - Coquillon!

Жил-был

учитель скромный Кокильон.

Любил

наукой баловаться он.

Земной поклон за то, что он

Был в химию влюблен,

И по ночам над чем-то там

Химичил Кокильон.

Но, мученик науки гоним и обездолен,

Всегда в глазах толпы он - алхимик-шарлатан, -

И из любимой школы в два счета был уволен,

Верней, в три шеи выгнан непонятый титан.

Титан

лабораторию держал

И там

творил и мыслил, и дерзал.

За просто так, не за мильон,

В двухсуточный бульон

Швырнуть сумел все, что имел,

Великий Кокильон.

Да мы бы забросали каменьями Ньютона,

Мы б за такое дело измазали в смоле!

Но случай не дозволил плевать на Кокильона, -

Однажды в адской смеси заквасилось желе.

Бульон

изобретателя потряс, -

Был он -

ничто: не жидкость и не газ.

И был смущен и потрясен,

И даже удивлен.

"Эге! Ха-ха! О эврика!"-

Воскликнул Кокильон.

Три дня он развлекался игрой на пианино,

На самом дне в сухом вине он истину искал...

Вдруг произнес он внятно: "Какая чертовщина!."-

И твердою походкою он к дому зашагал.

Он днем

был склонен к мыслям и мечтам,

Но в нем

кипели страсти по ночам.

И вот, на поиск устремлен,

Мечтой испепелен,

В один момент в эксперимент

Включился Кокильон.

Душа его просила, и плоть его хотела

До истины добраться, до цели и до дна, -

Проверить состоянье таинственного тела,

Узнать, что он такое: оно или она?

Но был

и в этом опыте изъян -

Забыл

фанатик намертво про кран.

В погоне за открытьем он

Был слишком воспален -

И вдруг нажал ошибочно

На крантик Кокильон.

И закричал, безумный: "Да это же коллоид!

Не жидкость это, братцы, - коллоидальный газ!"

Вот так, блеснув в науке, как в небе астероид,

Взорвался - и в шипенье безвременно угас.

И вот -

так в этом газе он лежит,

Народ

его открытьем дорожит.

Но он не мертв - он усыплен, -

Разбужен будет он

Через века. Дремли пока,

Великий Кокильон!

А мы, склонив колени, глядим благоговейно.

Таких, как он, немного - четыре на мильон!

Возьмем Ньютона, Бора и старика Эйнштейна,

Вот три великих мужа, - четвертый - Кокильон!

The ballad "Coquillon" by Vladimir Vysotsky uses irony and sarcasm to portray the image of a passionate but not very successful scientist. Coquillon is a parody of the stereotypical genius who is consumed by his idea but remains oblivious to everything else, makes mistakes, and ultimately becomes a victim of his own experiment.

Vysotsky ridicules not only the image of the eccentric scientist, but also society's attitude towards science. At first, Coquillon is mocked and persecuted for his "alchemical" experiments; no one attempts to understand the essence of his work. But as soon as an explosion occurs (although accidental), Coquillon is immediately declared a genius and promised eternal glory.

The ballad is imbued with absurd humor: Coquillon cooks a broth in which "jelly fermented," plays the piano, seeks truth in wine – all of this creates a comical effect and emphasizes the absurdity of the situation. At the same time, behind this satire lies a deeper meaning. Vysotsky makes us think about the price of scientific discoveries, about how often genius borders on madness, and about how superficial and fickle public opinion can be.