Speaking In Tongues
Guided by Voices

Alexander Vertinsky

Without Women

Translated by Andrey Kneller







How great it is without women and their lies;
Without bitter tears or tender kissing lovers!
Without those fair and way too honest eyes,
Which lie to you and envy you to others!


How great it is without dull, dramatic tales;
Without the long and noble declarations,
Without those grim, hysterical betrayals,
And those late-spoken lamentations!


And how amusing is the foolish game!
In which the stakes are high
And winnings are so petty!
When your companions are cheaters -- all the same!
To quit this game became impossible already!


How great it is to wake up all alone,
Like any bachelor, in a cozy relaxation;
And realize that you don't even owe
To anyone at all your explanation!


How great it is to sit there with your friend!
Enjoy a Scottish whiskey like you want it,
And with a joy remember way back then
When to this lady you were once devoted.


And just to win back some of what you've lost,
To plot a harmless flirt with her close friend;
And somehow, to preserve, at any cost,
That simple self-devotion of a man!