Navigator
This is my translation of «Навигатор» by Борис Гребенщиков [Boris Grebenshchikov].
Crossbow firmly in hand,
And my samurai sword 'twixt my molars,
In a virtual vest, as a rule though, most often, without—
Unfamiliar to you, I soar soft 'twixt the subway controllers,
Argent thief in the night, midst the skies black and white make my route.
On the paintings of saints, I'm—
Invisible inklings of motion,
On the CNN news, I'm—the line after which there is naught,
But to those in the night, I'm—
A mystical star's swirling notion,
And the ultimate glow for all those who knew they'd been forgot…
Navigator! O sing me canzóne another,
But, of course, I'll return—wait for me at the last gates; you ought
Give this turn one more thought—to my heart I will hold close my lover,
And to those with a sword—
I will tell them, "Shalom lehitraot!"
And as long—à la guerre comme à la guerre—all's unworried.
From the dawning of time, we stand still at our daydreams' confines;
In monastical calm, we're—
Associates of the chief Warrior;
Through the infrared sights
We're like Riot Police of the Skies.
Navigator! O sing me canzóne another;
But, of course, I'll return—wait for me at the glad gates; you ought
Give this turn one more thought—to my heart I will hold close my lover,
And, to those with a sword—
I will tell them…"Shalom lehitraot!"