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1 Не лѣпо ли ны бяшетъ, братие, 8 Боянъ бо вѣщій, аще кому Боянъ же, братие, не десятъ соколовь |
Were it not seemly to us, brothers, to begin in ancient diction the tales of the toils of the army of Ígoŕ, Ígoŕ Svyatoslávič? [Or] to begin this song in accordance with the ballads of this time, and not like the invention of Boyán? For the wise Boyán when he wished to make a song for any man, in his thought used to fly in the trees, [race] like a grey wolf on earth, [soar] like a dusky eagle beneath the clouds. He used to recall the words and the dissensions of the early times. Then he released falcons on a flock of swans; whichever [falcon] first arrived, its swan sang a song,--to the elder Yarosláv, to Mstíslav the Brave who slew Redélya in front of the Kasog hosts, [or] to Román Svyatoslávič the Handsome. Yet, Boyán, my brothers, did not let loose ten falcons on a flock of swans, but laid his own wizard fingers on the living strings, which then themselves throbbed out praise for the princes. |
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Почнемъ же, братіе, повѣсть сію |
Let us begin, my brothers, this tale from the elder Vladímir up to our contemporary Ígoŕ, who extended his mind with firmness and sharpened his heart with manliness; and, filling himself with war-like spirit, led his brave hosts to the land of Pólovtsy, for the sake of the land of the Russians. |
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Тогда Игорь възрѣ |
Then Ígoŕ gazed up at the bright sun, and saw all his warriors covered with the darkness [that proceeded] out of it. And Ígoŕ said to his družína:--"Brothers and družína! Better is it to be hewn to pieces than to be captive! So let us mount, brothers, on our swift steeds and look upon the blue Don!" The prince's mind flamed with desire, and his eagerness to have experience of the mighty Don concealed from him the omen. "I wish," he said,--"to shatter a spear on the borders of the land of the Pólovtsy, with you, my Russians: I wish to lay down my head and to drink of the Don in my helmet!" |
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О Бояне, соловію старого времени!
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Oh, Boyán, nightingale of the times agone! If only thou hadst warbled of these hosts, leaping in the tree of thought, flying up with thy mind beneath the clouds, weaving together the glories of both halves of this time, racing on the path of Troyán through the plains to the mountains. Thus might have been sung in song to Ígoŕ, [his (Olég's) grandson]. "Like as a storm bore hawks before it across the broad fields, the crows, in flocks run towards the mighty Don." Or, thus might have been sung, oh wizard Boyán, scion of Véles.
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"комони ржуть за Сулою; |
. . ."The horses neigh beyond the Sulá, the glory echoes at Kíev, the trumpets blare at Nóvgorod, the banners stand fast at Putívl’." |
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Игорь ждетъ мила брата Всеволода. |
Ígoŕ awaits his dear brother Vsévolod. And Vsévolod said to him:--"My one brother, my one bright light, thou Ígoŕ! we are both sons of Svyatosláv! Brother, saddle thy swift horses; mine are ready for thee, saddled at Kuŕsk beforehand: and my men of Kuŕsk are experienced fighters, nursed amid trumpets, rocked in helmets, fed at the spear-blades, well-known to them are the paths; familiar to them are the ravines; their saddle-bows are strung; their quivers are open; and their sabres are whetted. They themselves gallop like grey wolves in the field, seeking honour for themselves, and for their prince glory." |
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100 Тогда въступи Игорь князь въ златъ стремень, |
Then Prince Ígoŕ stepped into his golden stirrup, and set out in the open field. The sun barred his way with darkness, night groaned to him; and roused the birds with terror; the shrill tones of beasts aroused him; Div arose crying calls on the tree-top; he commands a hearing from the Unknown Land, the Vólga, the sea-border, and the Sulá country on the Sea of Azov, Korsuń, and thee, thou idol of Tmutarokáń. |
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А половци неготовами дорогами |
But the Pólovtsy on trackless roads ran to the mighty Don. The carts creak at midnight, like swans released. Ígoŕ leads his hosts towards the Don. Already [Div] the Bird is fending off disaster from him at this season; the wolves raise up their [cries] threat in the crevasses; the eagles with their clatter summon the brute-beasts [to feed on] the bones; the foxes yelp at the crimson shields. Oh land of Russia, already art thou beyond the frontier-hill! Long is the night dark; the dawn has begun to give forth light; mist has rolled over the fields; the twitter of the nightingales is hushed; the speech of the crows has been awakened. The sons of Russia have barred the broad fields with their crimson shields, seeking for themselves honour, for their prince renown. |
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136 Съ заранія въ пятъкъ потопташа |
From the dawning on Friday they trampled on the heathen hosts of the Pólovtsy and scattered themselves like arrows over the field. They seized the fair maidens of the Pólovtsy, and with them gold and cloths and costly samite. With the mantles and cloaks and coats they set about bridging over the myre and greasy places--, with all the various patterned raiments of the Pólovtsy. [To Ígoŕ] the brave son of Svyatosláv [there fell] a purple flag, a white banner, a red panache and a silver spear. |
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Дремлетъ въ полѣ Ольгово |
The valiant brood of the Ôlgoviči slumbers on the battle-field; afar has it flown. It had not been born to be insulted by hawk or gerfalcon, nor by thee, thou black crow, thou Heathen Polovčín! |
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156 Гзакъ бѣжитъ сѣрымъ влъкомъ,
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Gzak races like a grey wolf, Končák rides after him towards the mighty Don. On the second day, very early, blood-stained dawn-lights announce the day; black clouds approach from the sea, and are eager to bedim the four Suns, and in them there quiver blue lightning-flashes. There shall ensue a fearful thunder; it shall rain arrows from the mighty Don. And there shall spears be shattered, and swords shall be blunted on the Polovétski helms, by the river Kayála, near the mighty Don. Oh land of Russia, thou art now on the frontier-hill. Now the winds, the scions of Stríbog, blow from the sea like arrows on to the courageous hosts of Ígoŕ. The Earth moans, the streams flow sullied, [clouds of] dust cover the fields, the banners murmur. The Pólovtsy advance from the Don and the sea and from all sides. The Russian regiments retired.
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Дѣти бѣсови кликомъ |
[paragraph continues] The children of Baal barred the fields with their yells; but the brave Russians barred them with their crimson shields. |
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Яръ-туре Всеволоде! |
Oh fierce bull † [?] Vsévolod, thou standest in the struggle, dartest with thy arrows on the hosts, crashest with steel swords on their helmets. Where thou, the bull, didst leap forward, gleaming with thy golden helmet, there the heathen Polovétski heads lie, [and] their Avar helms are split by tempered sabres, by thee, fierce bull Vsévolod: who repined at the wounds of the enemy and forgot his honour and his life, and the City of Černígov, his father's golden throne, and the wonts and the ways of his dear love, the fair Glĕbovna! |
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Были вѣчи Трояни,
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There have been the ages of Troyán; the years of Yarosláv have declined. There have been the armies of Olég, Olég Svyatoslávič. That Olég with his sword forged rebellion, and sowed arrows over the earth. He steps into his golden stirrup in the city of Tmutorokáń. Yarosláv the Great, long since departed, heard the peal [of bells], but Vladímir the son of Vsévolod, for all of his days closed his ears at Černígov.
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Бориса же Вячеславлича |
[Lust for] glory brought Borís Vyačeslávič to the Judgment-seat, and on the Kanína [banks] bedded him with a garment of green, on account of the wrong [done] to Olég, that valiant and young prince. From this river Kayála Svyatopólk bade his father-in-law be carried amid Hungarian amblers [to Saint Sophia at Kíev]. Then, in the time of Olég, Borís wrought for evil: feuds were sown and grew apace, the life of [Russia] the scion of Dážbog [the Sun-god] was wasted in the factious of the princes and the generations of mankind were shortened. Then on the Russian land seldom did the villeins shout gee-up, but often did the ravens croak, as they divided the corpses [amongst themselves]; the crows spake in their own tongue, 'they wish to fly to the banquet.' Thus it was in those battles and those expeditions; but, such as this battle, none has been heard of. |
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Съ зараніа до вечера,
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From early moon until the evening, from the evening until the day-light, tempered arrows fly, the sabres thunder about the helmets, the lances crack in the foreign country, amid the land of the Pólovtsy. The black earth beneath the hooves was sown with bones, and was watered with blood;
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а кровію польяна: |
on Russian soil these sprang up as grief. What noise is that, what peal is that, just now early before the dawn? Ígoŕ is retiring his regiments; for he has compassion on his dear brother Vsévolod. They fought one day, they fought another; on the third day, close on noon, the standards of Ígoŕ fell. Those two brothers parted on the bank of the swift Kayála. There of bloody wine there was not enough. There they finished the feast, the brave Russians; they plied the wedding-guests with wine, but themselves were laid low defending the Russian land. The grass bows down with woe and the tree bent to earth with sorrow. |
7:† Grandfather of Îgor.
7:‡ V. note.