Mgnoveniya Мгновения English Russian Lyrics Seventeen Moments of Spring

In this video and below, you will find side by side Russian and English lyrics from the song "Mgnoveniya" (Moments). This was the theme song for the Soviet TV show "Seventeen Moments of Spring". This is a great song, with great lyrics, regardless how you feel about the original TV show.

The video contains both the original Russian lyrics, plus a complete, accurate yet usable (singable) English translation. Both languages are overlaid on the video, with the original Russian lyrics at the top and English translation at the bottom. My great wish is that someone with a great voice decides to sing it in English, record it, and upload it to YouTube :)

Whenever translating poetry / lyrics, the great challenge is balancing the original meaning vs. making the translation usable and understandable, in poetic form, and in the new language.

Due to language differences, perfection and direct translation is often impossible. On the one hand, a complete, accurate literal translation may be possible, but it will not be poetic, will not rhyme and, while it may convey the meaning, it will not reflect the beauty of the original language.

On the other hand, an overly poetic translation taking liberties with the original meaning for the sake of rhyme and flow of verse can so far depart from the original as to be useless. It may be a work of art in its own right, but it is NOT a faithful image of the original. There are plenty of examples in poetry, literature, history and religion.

To truly experience what the original author intended, the only way is to learn the original language. That is not very practical or possible for most of us. With that said, it is possible to come close without learning a new language.

My aim was to translate it so you could sing it in English, so it had to rhyme and flow, yet to also keep the original meaning. Some compromises had to be made, but I think over 95% of the original meaning has been retained, since Russian and English languages are fairly close to each other. This was relatively quick work and I may try to improve it at some point.

Comments are welcome! No copyright of the original material is intended, but I reserve the copyright for the translation, which is my original work.
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Мгновения
(Семнадцать мгновений весны)

Не думай о секундах свысока...
Наступит время, сам поймёшь, наверное.
Свистят они, как пули у виска,
Мгновения, мгновения, мгновения...

(Мгновения спрессованы в года,
Мгновения спрессованы в столетия,
И я не понимаю иногда
Где первое мгновенье, где последнее...)

У каждого мгновенья свой резон,
Свои колокола, своя отметина,
Мгновенья раздают кому позор,
Кому бесславье, а кому бессмертие!

Из крохотных мгновений соткан дождь,
Течёт с небес вода обыкновенная,
И ты порой почти полжизни ждёшь,
Когда оно придёт твоё мгновение...

Придёт оно большое, как глоток,
Глоток воды во время зноя летнего,
А в общем, надо просто помнить долг
От первого мгновенья до последнего.

Не думай о секундах свысока,
Наступит время, сам поймёшь, наверное,
Свистят они, как пули у виска,
Мгновения, мгновения, мгновения...

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Moments
(Seventeen moments of spring)

Do not look down on seconds, from above...
There'll be a time, and maybe, even you will know,
Like bullets, whizzing, by your head they fly,
Life little moments, little moments, passing by...

(These moments will be years, going by,
These moments will be centuries, and they will pass,
Sometimes, of those moments, wonder I,
Which one came first, and then which one came last...)

Each moment has a reason of its own,
Its own ringing bells, its own identity,
The moments deal infamy to some,
To others shame, to some the immortality!

From tiny moments nature weaves the rain,
It's only simple water streaming from the sky,
And you could spend your life in waiting game,
When will it come, the moment of your life...

Your moment, overwhelming, it will come,
Like Icy gulp of water in the summer heat,
Then simply do you duty without qualms,
From your first moment, to your last heartbeat...

Do not look down, on seconds, from above...
There'll be a time, and maybe, even you will know,
Like bullets, whizzing, by your head they fly,
Life little moments, little moments, passing by...

Видео Mgnoveniya Мгновения English Russian Lyrics Seventeen Moments of Spring канала vBwBv