Translation of "будь проклята война"

[freiburg234.livejournal.com]

Hello Russian Experts,

Could you please help me to translate a short text? It's part of a song by the Russian group Любэ.

Here's the text:

"будь проклята война"

I've tried "cursed be the war". Other versions tried are: "So be it, that damn war" or "Let the damn war be". But those all look rather stilted to me. I'd like to get something that is as natural in English as the original is in Russian.

What about "pi-s on the damn war", in the sense of "Let's not worry about the war now, it'll wait for us anyway" or "..., it's going to be around anyway, but today's our time to celebrate life, being alive"?)

Here's the full verse for context.

Давай за жизнь, давай брат до конца
Давай за тех, кто с нами был тогда
Давай за жизнь, будь проклята война
Помянем тех, кто с нами был тогда

I'd be grateful for any help.

Regards,

FB

Comments

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

>I've tried "cursed be the war".

And you were right, the rest is way off the mark. Будь проклят(а) means "be damned", "be cursed", or "curse you", "damn you". There is no other meaning in this sentence.

P.S.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

in the context, it's "here's to life, and damn the war."

[freiburg234.livejournal.com]

Fine. Thank you very much.

[alex-aka-fry.livejournal.com]

Please post your translation when you`re done

[maratustra.livejournal.com]

Давай за жизнь, будь проклята война

Lets drink for life, God damn the fucking war

[devitor.livejournal.com]

Harder that in original

[freiburg234.livejournal.com]

"pi-s on the damn war". That is kind of what I was thinking. But, "God damn the fucking war" seems a little too strong, because these are soldiers singing. They're not peaceniks who oppose war on principle, but rather warriors who know the price of war from first hand experience, yet continue to engage in it because: a) it's their job and, b) they are convinced that it is a 'bitter' necessity. That's why, to me "..., pi-s on the damn war" seems appropriate here as I think it expresses all of these sentiments.

[maratustra.livejournal.com]

well i thought you were composing the song

cos "piss on the damn war" doesnt fit the rythm, you wont be able to sing it properly

[pinky-the-cow.livejournal.com]

"So be it, that damn war" and "Let the damn war be" would translate into "пусть будет так, ты, эта проклятая война" (as it seems to have a tint of addressing to the war) and "пусть проклятая война будет". Both are different from the original russian.

[devitor.livejournal.com]

Hail to a life and drink that till the dry,
Hail to that men who were with us that time,
Hail to a life, a war may go to hell,
Hail to that dead, no word they could now tell


How is that? :)

Войнами новыми, войнами старыми

[freiburg234.livejournal.com]

Давай за жизнь, давай брат до конца
Давай за тех, кто с нами был тогда
Давай за жизнь, будь проклята война
Помянем тех, кто с нами был тогда

Let's drink to life, let's go my friend, to the end
Let's drink to those who were with us then
Let's drink to life, damn the war, my friend
We'll remember those who were with us then

Re: Войнами новыми, войнами старыми

[freiburg234.livejournal.com]

In a more general sense:

Here's to life, let's go my friend, to the end
Here's to those who were with us then
Here's to life, damn the war, my friend
We'll remember those who were with us then

Re: Войнами новыми, войнами старыми

[atlantis555.livejournal.com]

Поминать means not to 'remember' but 'come to a funeral feast'. In this meaning it's 'to speak smth good of one's friend, drinking in the memory of him'.