The meaning of the lyrics of the song "The Song of the Wild Boar" (Pesnya o dikom vepre) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

In a kingdom peaceful and serene,

Free from wars, disasters, or storms,

A wild boar, enormous and mean,

Like a buffalo, bull, or aurochs, took form.

The king himself suffered from asthma and gout,

His coughing fits instilled a mighty fright,

Meanwhile, the beast, a fearsome lout,

Some he devoured, others dragged into the night.

The king declared three decrees with haste:

"This beast must be vanquished, at last!

Whoever dares to take on this case,

Shall take the princess's hand, embraced!"

And in that desperate state's despair,

Where life was lived on a tilted plane,

In reckless sorrow, a musketeer did fare,

Once the king's best marksman, now in pain.

On the floor lay people and pelts galore,

Singing songs, drinking mead, when hark!

Trumpets blared at the palace door,

"Seize the marksman!" they cried, "Off to the monarch!"

The king coughed and wheezed, "I shan't bore,

You with lectures, young man, time is tight!

If by tomorrow, you win this chore,

The princess you'll wed, beneath the candlelight."

But the marksman scoffed, "What paltry prize!

A vat of port is all I desire!

Your princess, I wouldn't have, no lies,

I'll defeat the beast, fueled by my own fire."

The king boomed, "You'll wed her, that's the decree!

Or it's to the dungeon, one, two, three!

She's a royal princess, can't you see?"

The marksman retorted, "Kill me then, set me free!"

And as they bickered, the beast drew near,

Devouring women and chickens with a crunch,

He lurked by the palace, causing fear,

That beast, like a bull, or an aurochs, with a hunch.

There was nothing left to do, the port denied,

The beast he defeated, and then took his flight,

Thus the princess and king, he left mortified,

The once best marksman, disgraced, vanished into the night.

В королевстве, где все тихо и складно,

Где ни войн, ни катаклизмов, ни бурь,

Появился дикий вепрь огромадный -

То ли буйвол, то ли бык, то ли тур.

Сам король страдал желудком и астмой,

Только кашлем сильный страх наводил,

А тем временем зверюга ужасный

Коих ел, а коих в лес волочил.

И король тотчас издал три декрета:

"Зверя надо одолеть наконец!

Кто отважется на дело на это -

Тот принцессу поведет под венец!"

А в отчаявшемся том государстве -

Как войдешь, так сразу наискосок, -

В бесшабашной жил тоске и гусарстве

Бывший лучший королевский стрелок.

На полу лежали люди и шкуры,

Пели песни, пили меды - и тут

Протрубили во дворце трубадуры,

Хвать стрелка! - и во дворец волокут.

И король ему прокашлял: - Не буду

Я читать тебе моралей, юнец!

Если завтра победишь Чуду-юду,

То принцессу поведешь под венец.

А стрелок: - Да это что за награда?

Мне бы выкатить портвейна бадью!

А принцессу мне и даром не надо -

Чуду-юду я и так победю.

А король: - Возьмешь принцессу - и точка!

А не то тебя - раз-два! - и в тюрьму!

Это все же королевская дочка! -

А стрелок: - Ну хоть убей - не возьму!

И пока король с ним так препирался,

Съел уже почти всех женщин и кур,

И возле самого дворца ошивался

Этот самый то ли бык, то ли тур.

Делать нечего - портвейн он отспорил,

Чуду-юду победил и убег.

Вот так принцессу с королем опозорил

Бывший лучший, но опальный стрелок.

Vladimir Vysotsky's "Song about a Wild Boar" seems, at first glance, to be a simple story about a hero saving a kingdom from a monster. However, beneath this simplicity lies a deep satirical meaning, criticizing power, hypocrisy, and soullessness.

The boar, "a buffalo, a bull, or an aurochs," symbolizes chaos and destruction that befall a prosperous kingdom. The king, suffering from asthma and "inspiring fear" only with his cough, embodies an ineffective and helpless power, unable to protect his subjects. He is ready for anything to get rid of the problem, even offering his own daughter as a reward for killing the beast.

The former royal shooter, living "in reckless melancholy and hussarism," represents a free man, not burdened by moral principles and conventions. He does not seek fame or fortune but simply wants to enjoy life. The king's offer to marry the princess does not tempt him – he prefers to "roll out a barrel of port."

The ending of the song is unexpected: the shooter defeats the boar but refuses the reward and runs away. This act can be interpreted as a protest against the hypocrisy of the king, who was ready to sacrifice his daughter for his own peace of mind. The shooter, unwilling to be a pawn in someone else's game, chooses freedom and independence.

Therefore, "Song about a Wild Boar" is not just a fairy tale about a hero and a monster. It is a satirical commentary on the vices of society, about power ready for any deal, and about a person striving for freedom and unwilling to obey the rules of a hypocritical world.