The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Forty-nine days" (Sorok devyat dney) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

The Okhotsk climate, you are harsh indeed, -

A hurricane for the third day straight.

Kryuchkovsky himself takes the helm,

Ivan Fedorov rests in his place.

The elements continued to roar -

And the Pacific Ocean raged.

Ziganshin stood at the wheel,

Not closing his eyes for a moment.

More severe, more terrible than deprivation,

Neither boat nor glimmer in sight, -

And a decision was made -

And they began to eat their boots.

They ate the last potato,

Looked into each other's eyes...

When Poplavsky ate his harmonica,

A bitter tear rolled down his cheek.

The can of stew was eaten,

And the soup made from a single potato, -

Less and less health and nerves remained,

More and more the desire for home.

Their hearts continued to work,

But the beat grew fainter,

The calm, but weak Fedorov

Swallowed his penultimate heel.

All four lay helpless,

No boat, no crumb around,

Ziganshin rolled a "goat's leg"

With his weakening fingers.

He's a true soldier in service,

And a true navigator here.

Ziganshin, Kryuchkovsky, Poplavsky -

Singing songs below deck.

Ziganshin held on, kept his spirits up,

Cheered them, though pale as a ghost himself,

And what he was about to say,

He said only the next day.

"Friends!" An hour later: "My dears!"

"Guys!" - Another hour passed. -

"The storm couldn't break us,

So will hunger defeat us now?

Let's forget about food - what's the point! -

And remember our platoon..."

"If only we knew," Fedorov began to rave,

"What they're eating at the base now."

And suddenly - was it a mirage, a myth -

A ship appeared in the distance!

Everyone rushed to the binoculars,

And a helicopter flew from the ship.

...All the ordeals are over -

They serve again - what have you got, ocean?!-

Kryuchkovsky, Poplavsky, Fedorov,

And with them, Ziganshin Askhan!

Суров же ты, климат охотский, -

Уже третий день ураган.

Встает у руля сам Крючковский,

На отдых - Федотов Иван.

Стихия реветь продолжала -

И Тихий шумел океан.

Зиганшин стоял у штурвала

И глаз ни на миг не смыкал.

Суровей, ужасней лишенья,

Ни лодки не видно, ни зги, -

И принято было решенье -

И начали есть сапоги.

Последнюю съели картошку,

Взглянули друг другу в глаза...

Когда ел Поплавский гармошку,

Крутая скатилась слеза.

Доедена банка консервов

И суп из картошки одной, -

Все меньше здоровья и нервов,

Все больше желанье домой.

Сердца продолжали работу,

Но реже становится стук,

Спокойный, но слабый Федотов

Глотал предпоследний каблук.

Лежали все четверо в лежку,

Ни лодки, ни крошки вокруг,

Зиганшин скрутил козью ножку

Слабевшими пальцами рук.

На службе он воин заправский,

И штурман заправский он тут.

Зиганшин, Крючковский, Поплавский -

Под палубой песни поют.

Зиганшин крепился, держался,

Бодрил, сам был бледный как тень,

И то, что сказать собирался,

Сказал лишь на следующий день.

"Друзья!." Через час: "Дорогие!."

"Ребята!- Еще через час.-

Ведь нас не сломила стихия,

Так голод ли сломит ли нас!

Забудем про пищу - чего там!-

А вспомним про наш взвод солдат..."

"Узнать бы, - стал бредить Федотов, -

Что у нас в части едят?"

И вдруг: не мираж ли, не миф ли -

Какое-то судно идет!

К биноклю все сразу приникли,

А с судна летел вертолет.

...Окончены все переплеты -

Вновь служат, - что, взял, океан?!-

Крючковский, Поплавский, Федотов,

А с ними Зиганшин Асхан!

In his song "Forty-Nine Days," Vladimir Vysotsky tells a story of incredible fortitude and the will to live. Four sailors—Kryuchkovsky, Fedotov, Poplavsky, and Ziganshin—find themselves adrift in a lifeboat in the middle of a raging ocean after a shipwreck.

The poem paints a picture of terrifying trials: a merciless storm, hunger, the endless expanse of water offering no hope of rescue. Step by step, Vysotsky shows the growing despair: the sailors eat their last reserves of food, are forced to gnaw on their boots, and even a musical instrument.

However, despite the monstrous conditions, the heroes do not give up. Ziganshin, as a true leader, encourages his comrades. He urges them to forget about hunger and remember their duty, their comrades in arms. This fortitude, faith in salvation, and mutual support help them survive.

The climax is the appearance of a ship and a helicopter on the horizon. The poem ends on a high note: the sailors are saved and return to service. Vysotsky leaves the ocean defeated, thus emphasizing the triumph of the human spirit over the forces of nature.