Idut barany, byut barabany !

[Edward Dumanis]

I can answer some of the questions.
The translation of the song was done by Arkadij Akimovich Shtejnberg
(1907-1984). Maybe, there are also translations by others (including Bitov) but
I am not familiar with them. The song became popular among the educated public
of Russia after it was performed by Vladimir Vysotsky in the Taganka theater in
Moscow. Also, it was recorded by Galina Pashkova on a record issued by
"Melodija" where her recital was accompanied by the music of the Shostakovich's
Symphony No. 7 rather than by the original music written by Hanns Eisler in
1943.
The original German name of this march is Kälbermarsch (march of calves). It was
written by Brecht not for "Dobry chelovek from Sezuan" ( "Der gute Mensch von
Sezuan") but for "Schweyk in the Second World War" („Schweyk im Zweiten
Weltkrieg“) written in 1941-1944.
Sorry but I could not find the German text on the Internet: the search on
"Kälbermarsch" ( ''Kaelbermarsch'') gives too many hits.

The Russian translation can be found, for example, at
http://www.1917.com/index.html

Some information in German can be found at
http://www.nmz.de/nmz/nmz1998/nmz11/rumpf/paedagogik.shtml

Translation into English and Polish with commentaries in French is at
http://comenius02.gfs.diepholz.de/kaelbermarsch.html

Sincerely,

Edward Dumanis <dumanis at buffalo.edu>

FRISON Philippe wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> In a book on the first Chechen war, Russian soldiers sent by Grachev to
> assault Grozny on New Year Eve 1995 are compared with the following words :
>
> Oaaa?o aa?aiu (a ?ya), [Shagayut barany (v ryad)]
> Au?o aa?aaaiu, [byut barabany]
> Oeo?o ia ieo aa?o [shkuru na nikh dayut]
> Oa aea aa?aiu... [te zhe barany]
>
> (A. A?aoo. Ia iioea <Iu niaei a aie iieaai)
>
> According to the author it comes from ANdrey Bitov.
>
> I found on the Internet, that it should be verses from Berthold Brecht
> (1943). It is not the '4 pennies Opera' as it was written on one site.
>
> There is also a song by Vysotsky with more or less the same words that he
> can have song at Taganka Theater in a play called "Dobry chelovek from
> Sezuan".
>
> If verses comme really from Brecht, could anybody give the original text (in
> German) ?
>
> Who tranlated it into Russian Andrey Bitov or some one else ?
>
> How did these words become so famous ?
>
> Thank you in advance for any clue.
>
> Philippe Frison
> Strasbourg (France)
>
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