The meaning of the lyrics of the song "To Oleg Yefremov's 50th anniversary" (K 50-letiyu Olega Efremova) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

We are of the breed of the beaten, but tenacious,

We remember everything, memory is dear to us.

I speak like a Maly Theatre scout,

Abandoned in the "Taganka" - behind enemy lines.

Now - in an embrace, like boxers in a clinch,

And I, once a Maly Theatre student,

To Oleg Nikolayevich today

I report the intelligence data -

That in that "Taganka" the crowd is impudent,

Crushing at the box office - Gomorrah, Sodom! -

Gypsies with cards, a long road,

And a state house is being built again.

With all that, the Taganka people are similar to you,

Although, of course, you will find a difference:

The Maly Theatre performances are applauded by the boxes,

And they, without false modesty, without lies,

In their half-century, Oleg is a century younger -

A second life instead of seven deaths.

Because there are boxes in the theater,

You can safely invite guests.

The Taganka people are grabbing our authors

And they also learned to take it by gut.

They play Bulgakov in droves,

And Pushkin - again, five of them.

Companies are marching in formation,

Two company commanders - orders for the march-throw!

Lyubimov is only ten years older,

Plus "Ten Days..." - is that really a term?!

They wondered differently - years in divination:

Like, they'll finish playing - and the thunder will crash.

Besides, the bricks on new buildings

Remind everyone of a state house.

We need to look for examples in history:

There was such a man in Russia -

He nailed the shield to the gates of Constantinople

And his name was also, it seems, Oleg.

Seven years ago you entered the doors of the Maly Theatre,

You flew in on a white princely horse.

You tempered the steel, now everyone is waiting for the rolling -

Both from the inside, of course, and from the outside.

Hot melt was poured onto the Maly mill,

It worked out.

We almost burned the wings of "The Seagull",

But, thank God, it ended with glory.

In many ways, the interests coincide:

In "Taganka" they drink to the Old New Year.

Both teams have "Mercedes",

But we lack the "Seagulls".

And in "Taganka" - there is a general commotion:

Before the tour, it is seething -

They have a long way to go to Paris,

But the "Blue Bird" is not coming.

Here the director dies in the actor,

But - here's a paradox and a twist:

Abdulov Seva - everyone knows Seva -

Almost died in Efremov.

No, really, we are alike, even in an argument,

We live and do not sin against the truth:

I almost died in the director too,

And, by the way, with great pleasure.

Actors go to the Maly Theatre, and hardly

Because they pay more for their labors.

But God bless those on the boulevard

Where Chistye Prudy has become cleaner!

Yearn, Oleg, in precious moments

For the eternally and truly alive!

Everyone understands this nostalgia

For your former contemporaries.

The Magi predicted sad endings:

Like, snakes live in the skull of a horse.

But it seems to me that long roads,

You see, someday they will coincide.

Scientists, of course, did not lie,

But the country of arts is a land of miracles.

Development here does not go in a spiral,

But at random, across, crosswise.

The abuse has subsided, but the concessions are temporary,

The Admiralty Needle is bright.

"Taganka", Maly Theatre go in the same harness,

And the common cart is heavy.

We are a couple of creatures from Noah's Ark,

We are two hemispheres of one bark.

Oleg doesn't need to be in the academy!

Cast your black balls together!

And since the time people came down from the trees,

This day is one of the main ones. You can stand up

And raise a toast to ten five-year plans -

For one hundred by two, for two by twenty-five!

Мы из породы битых, но живучих

Мы помним все, нам память дорога

Я говорю как мхатовский лазутчик

Заброшенный в "Таганку" — в тыл врага

Теперь — в обнимку, как боксеры в клинче

И я, когда-то мхатовский студент

Олегу Николаевичу нынче

Докладываю данные развед-

Что на "Таганке" той толпа нахальная

У кассы давится — Гоморр, Содом! —

Цыганки с картами, дорога дальняя

И снова строится казенный дом

При всех делах таганцы с вами схожи

Хотя, конечно, разницу найдешь:

Спектаклям МХАТа рукоплещут ложи

А те, без ложной скромности, без лож

В свой полувек Олег на век моложе —

Вторая жизнь взамен семи смертей

Из-за того что есть в театре ложи

Ты можешь смело приглашать гостей

Таганцы наших авторов хватают

И тоже научились брать нутром

У них гурьбой Булгакова играют

И Пушкина — опять же впятером

Шагают роты в выкладке на марше

Двум ротным — ордена за марш-бросок!

Всего на десять лет Любимов старше

Плюс "Десять дней..." — ну разве это срок?!

Гадали разное — года в гаданиях:

Мол доиграются — и грянет гром

К тому ж кирпичики на новых зданиях

Напоминают всем казенный дом

В истории искать примеры надо:

Был на Руси такой же человек —

Он щит прибил к воротам Цареграда

И звался тоже, кажется, Олег.

Семь лет назад ты въехал в двери МХАТа

Влетел на белом княжеском коне

Ты сталь сварил, теперь все ждут проката —

И изнутри, конечно, и извне

На мхатовскую мельницу налили

Расплав горячий — это удалось

Чуть было "Чайке" крылья не спалили

Но, слава богу, славой обошлось

Во многом совпадают интересы:

В "Таганке" пьют за старый Новый год

В обоих коллективах "мерседесы"

Вот только "Чаек" нам недостает

А на "Таганке" — там возня повальная:

Перед гастролями она бурлит —

Им предстоит в Париж дорога дальняя

Но "Птица синяя" не предстоит

Здесь режиссер в актере умирает

Но — вот вам парадокс и перегиб:

Абдулов Сева — Севу каждый знает —

В Ефремове чуть было не погиб

Нет, право, мы похожи, даже в споре

Живем и против правды не грешим:

Я тоже чуть не умер в режиссере

И, кстати, с удовольствием большим.

Идут во МХАТ актеры, и едва ли

Затем, что больше платят за труды

Но дай бог счастья тем, кто на бульваре

Где чище стали Чистые пруды!

Тоскуй, Олег, в минуты дорогие

По вечно и доподлинно живым!

Все понимают эту ностальгию

По бывшим современникам твоим

Волхвы пророчили концы печальные:

Мол змеи в черепе коня живут.

А мне вот кажется, дороги дальние

Глядишь, когда-нибудь и совпадут

Ученые, конечно, не наврали

Но ведь страна искусств — страна чудес

Развитье здесь идет не по спирали

А вкривь и вкось, вразрез, наперерез

Затихла брань, но временны поблажки

Светла Адмиралтейская игла

"Таганка", МХАТ идут в одной упряжке

И общая телега тяжела

Мы пара тварей с Ноева ковчега

Два полушарья мы одной коры

Не надо в академики Олега!

Бросайте дружно черные шары!

И с той поры как люди слезли с веток

Сей день — один из главных. Можно встать

И тост поднять за десять пятилеток —

За сто на два, за два по двадцать пять!

Vladimir Vysotsky's poem "To Oleg Efremov on his 50th Birthday" is replete with multi-layered meaning and allusions, reflecting not only the friendship of two outstanding theatre personalities but also the complex situation of theatrical art in the Soviet Union.

Vysotsky draws a parallel between two theatres - the Moscow Art Theatre (MAT), headed by Efremov at the time, and the Taganka Theatre, where Vysotsky himself performed under Yuri Lyubimov. He ironically calls himself a "MAT scout" behind "enemy lines," emphasizing that despite ideological differences and competition, there is deep understanding and respect between the two theatres.

Several important themes are traced in the poem:

The confrontation between Taganka and MAT: Vysotsky portrays the two theatres as two poles of the theatrical world of that time. On the one hand, the conservative MAT with its traditions and classical repertoire ("The boxes applaud the MAT performances"), and on the other, the rebellious Taganka, loved by the intelligentsia and causing discontent among the authorities ("Gypsies with cards, a long road ahead/And another government building is being built").

The difficult fate of the artist in the USSR: Vysotsky speaks of censorship, pressure from the authorities ("bricks on new buildings/Remind everyone of a government building"), the constant expectation of reprisals ("They wondered different things - years in their predictions:/They'll play themselves out - and the thunder will crash").

Friendship and dedication to art: Despite all the difficulties, Vysotsky sees the future of theatre artists in an optimistic light. He believes in the power of art, in the fact that even the most difficult obstacles can be overcome ("Scientists, of course, did not lie/But after all, the country of art is a country of miracles/Development here does not go in a spiral/But criss-cross, across, against the grain").

The poem is filled with metaphors and images characteristic of Vysotsky's work. He uses sports vocabulary ("in an embrace, like boxers in a clinch"), historical parallels (Prince Oleg, Constantinople), biblical motifs (Sodom and Gomorrah, Noah's Ark) to convey his thoughts and feelings.

Ultimately, the poem "To Oleg Efremov on his 50th Birthday" is not only a congratulation to a friend, but also a hymn to the theatre, to art, capable of uniting people despite all obstacles.