| Original | Traduzione inglese / English Translation: Sean McWilliams
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| ВОЙНА БЫВАЕТ ДЕТСКАЯ | WAR IS CHILD'S PLAY |
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| Война бывает детская, до первого убитого, | War is child's play, until the first death. |
| Потом не склеишь целого из вдребезги разбитого. | Then you won't be able to put the whole together from its broken pieces. [1] |
| Душа, брат, не оправится, исключена гармония. | The soul, brother, will never move on, all harmony's chased out of it. |
| Не мало видел я ребят на этой церемонии. | I saw more than a few of the guys at that funeral. |
| Не мало видел я ребят на этой церемонии. | I saw more than a few of the guys at that funeral. |
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| Смотрю в его глазах тоску я как по телевизору, | I see the anguish in his eyes like I'm watching television, [2] |
| А мирный дым, накрыв окно, плывет дорогой сизою. | And the peaceful smoke over the windows flows down a gray road. |
| И как не свежая роса, в стаканах водка мается, | And the vodka languishes in the glasses like a stale dew, |
| И я молчу, и он молчит, а память не ломается. | And I'm quiet, and he's quiet, and the memories won't go away. |
| И я молчу, и он молчит, а память не ломается. | And I'm quiet, and he's quiet, and the memories won't go away. [3] |
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| Война бывает голая, веселая, ужасная, | War is naked, merry, horrible, |
| Война бывает точная, в разгуле рукопашная. | War is real, in the chaos of the melee. [4] |
| Хожу-брожу проспектами, фонарики качаются. | I wander the streets, the lights reeling. |
| Война бывает первая, a больше не кончается. | War is the first thing, and it's neverending. |
| Война бывает первая, а больше не кончается. | War is the first thing, and it's neverending. |
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| Война кипит победная до первого сражения, | War bursts forth victorious, until the first battle, |
| А после, брат, как и везде, сплошные умножения. | And then, brother, like everywhere else, it keeps on spreading. [5] |
| Бывает справедливая, бывает языкастая, | It's just, it's blathering, [6] |
| Для нас не очень длинная, паркетно-безопасная. | Not very long for us, and not a desk job. |
| Для нас порой не длинная, паркетно-безопасная. | Sometimes not long for us, and not a desk job. [7] |
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| Стеной соседской лается жизнь старая и новая | Life, old and new, is fighting behind the neighbor's wall |
| А наша не меняется - все та же, брат, бедовая. | But ours doesn't change - it's still full of fire, brother. |
| Сидим на кухне, празднуем. Жена придет сердитая | We'll sit in the kitchen, celebrate. The wife will come in angry |
| Война умрет под плитами последнего зарытого | The war will kill the last of those buried under the stones. |
| Война умрет под плитами последнего убитого. | The war will kill the last of those dead under the stones. |
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| Вопрос: "Зачем и почему?" оставим без внимания, | The question "Why?" we won't pay attention to, [8] |
| Мудрец сказал: "Господь дает по силам испытания". | The sage said: "The Lord gives his trials according to strength." |
| Пускай мы стали пьющими моральными калеками, | Then let us become drunken, immoral cripples, |
| А все же, брат, не гнидами, а все же человеками. | But all the same, brother, not scum, but all the same, still human. |
| А все же негниющими большими имяре-ка-ми | But all the same great, immortal, and nameless. |
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[2] Russian have made the claim that "тоска" is a most peculiar kind of sorrow that has no equivalent expression in other languages.
[3] Here I'm presuming that the end state of "память ломается" is to be free of the overbearing memories. More literally translating as "the memories won't be broken up" doesn't really work here.
[4] Very hard to translate here. "Точный" literally means "exact", "precise" and denotes a very exact quality. I struggle to describe it. "Разгул" means revelry, debauch, and usually describes happier circumstances (drinking parties, celebrations). Either of those words could be changed for the more-congruent "chaos".
[5] A literal translation runs "And after, brother, like everywhere, continuous multiplications." I give you that to chew on. Perhaps I'm missing something.
[6] Another tough line, "языкастая" can mean talkative, biting/sharp, evocative of flame in a way our language doesn't describe (tongues of flame), or simply long or skilled of tongue. What's going on here? I could only guess.
[7] Trying to communicate the idea in the other translator's notes that some "soldiers" never leave the office building.
[8] The distinction is not made in English between the words "зачем" and "почему", except perhaps as "why and wherefore?" "why and for what?", neither of which make the translation any better.