The meaning of the lyrics of the song ""The Song of the Prophetic Oleg"" (Pesnya pro veschego Olega) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

How now gathers the prophetic Oleg

To nail his shield to the city gate,

When suddenly a man runs up to him

And starts to lisp something or other.

"Eh, Prince," he says out of the blue,

"You will meet your death from your own horse!"

Just as he was about to set out on campaign –

To take revenge on the foolish Khazars –

Suddenly gray-haired sorcerers arrived,

Reeking strongly of booze, no less.

And they say, completely out of the blue,

That he will meet his death from his own horse.

"Who are you, where did you come from?!" –

The retinue reached for their whips. –

"You're drunk, old man, so go sober up,

And don't tell us any tall tales

And say, for no reason at all,

That I will meet my death from my own horse!"

Well, in short, they didn't take it lightly –

You can't joke with princes!

And for a long time the retinue trampled the sorcerers

Under their bay horses:

Just imagine, saying out of the blue,

That he will meet his death from his own horse!

And the prophetic Oleg kept to his line,

So much so that no one dared to utter a peep.

He only once mentioned the sorcerers,

And even then he just chuckled sarcastically:

Imagine saying, for no reason at all,

That I would meet my death from my own horse!

"And here he is, my horse – he has rested for centuries,

Only his skull remains!.."

Oleg calmly put his foot down –

And immediately died on the spot:

A venomous snake bit him –

And he met his death from his own horse.

...Everyone is eager to punish the sorcerers,

But wouldn't it be better to listen, really?

If Oleg had listened – one more shield

Would have been nailed to the gates of Constantinople.

The sorcerers said it for a reason,

That he would meet his death from his own horse!

Как ныне сбирается вещий Олег

Щита прибивать на ворота,

Как вдруг подбегает к нему человек

И ну шепелявить чего-то.

"Эх, князь, — говорит ни с того ни с сего, —

Ведь примешь ты смерть от коня своего!"

Ну только собрался идти он на вы —

Отмщать неразумным хазарам,

Как вдруг прибежали седые волхвы,

К тому же разя перегаром.

И говорят ни с того ни с сего,

Что примет он смерть от коня своего.

"Да кто ж вы такие, откуда взялись?! —

Дружина взялась за нагайки. —

Напился, старик, так иди похмелись,

И неча рассказывать байки

И говорить ни с того ни с сего,

Что примет он смерть от коня своего!"

Ну, в общем, они не сносили голов —

Шутить не могите с князьями!

И долго дружина топтала волхвов

Своими гнедыми конями:

Ишь, говорят ни с того ни с сего,

Что примет он смерть от коня своего!

А вещий Олег свою линию гнул,

Да так, что никто и не пикнул.

Он только однажды волхвов помянул,

И то саркастически хмыкнул:

Ну надо ж болтать ни с того ни с сего,

Что примет он смерть от коня своего!

"А вот он, мой конь, — на века опочил,

Один только череп остался!.."

Олег преспокойно стопу возложил —

И тут же на месте скончался:

Злая гадюка кусила его —

И принял он смерть от коня своего.

...Каждый волхвов покарать норовит,

А нет бы — послушаться, правда?

Олег бы послушал — ещё один щит

Прибил бы к вратам Цареграда.

Волхвы-то сказали с того и с сего,

Что примет он смерть от коня своего!

Vladimir Vysotsky's "Song about Prophetic Oleg" interweaves themes of fate, predestination, and human stubbornness. Drawing inspiration from Pushkin's poem of the same name, Vysotsky crafts his own interpretation, infusing it with irony and profound meaning.

The song revolves around the prophecy delivered by the Magi, foretelling Oleg's death from his own horse. The Prince, proud and self-assured in his ability to shape destiny, dismisses the prediction. He refuses to believe that his demise could be linked to something as mundane as a horse. Oleg, consumed by his thirst for conquest, embodies a man blinded by his own power, unable to accept the inevitable.

Vysotsky satirizes the tyranny and cruelty of power, depicting the brutal treatment of the Magi by Oleg's men for daring to pronounce the prophecy. The recurring phrase "They say for no reason..." emphasizes the absurdity of a situation where belief in a prediction is met with violence.

The irony lies in Oleg's attempt to defy fate, ultimately leading him to his own demise. By avoiding his horse, he ironically encounters his death from a snake hidden within the animal's remains. The Prince's death becomes a symbol of the futility of trying to escape one's destiny, even with power and might.

The song prompts reflection on the limits of human control over fate. Vysotsky illustrates how disregarding warnings and clinging to an illusion of infallibility can have tragic consequences.