"The legend of the dead soldier" by B. Brecht and its translations into Russian: musical aspect

In the article the poetic musicality of "The Legend of the Dead Soldier" ("Legende vom toten Soldaten") by B. Brecht and its representation in Russian translations by S. Kirsanov and V. Shtempel are considered at the levels of the external form (rhythm) and the inner world (image). The origin and functions of the irregular rhythm (violation of meter), various repetitions, contrasts and accents are studied. The formal and content duality of the "poetic music" of the text is noted: combination of the military march (an interlaced masculine rhyme with predominantly consonant endings, monotonous iambus) with "dances of death" (alternation of the tetrameter and trimeter, rhythm disturbance, limping or dancing). Bravura and burdensome "chindrara" accompanies music of the orchestra, cries and shouts of animals and people, and dance at last. Both translators take account of the rhythm irregularity, noted by Brecht himself, but show a tendency, stronger in comparison with the original, to the trisyllabic foot (especially by Shtempel), reducing contrasts and accents. They both do not mention dance (there is no direct reference to "dances of death") and weaken the gradation from the march to the dance. Kirsanov concretizes names of the orchestra musical instruments (a trumpet, a flute, timpani), and in Shtempel's version "the cheerful march" is accompanied by "rats chorus". The prospects of research into the musical aspect of the original and translations are outlined.