Poems and Songs of Vladimir Vysotsky. Our Life Has Lots of Edges.

List. Text. Translation. Back. Forward.

Commentary to the poem “He’d gotten whatever wanted...”

Here comes to mind an old saying: “Suis rebus contentum esse maximae sunt divitiae.” (“The greatest wealth is to be content with what is yours.”)

Once Vladimir Vysotsky was asked which of the shortcomings he most disliked, and he an­swered that it was greed.

This answer calls to mind another old saying: “Radix enim malorum omnium est cupiditas.” (“Greed is the root of all evil.”)

Porphyry Ivanov, peace be upon him, said that we should consider everything to be com­mon and share with all people; and Vladimir Vysotsky wrote in the song “For One Man” (1964):

So, what is for one man? But a grave and a cradle.

Here also comes to mind Gabdulla Tukay’s poem “Against Gold” (1907).

Another close in spirit poem is “I have fared content in my solitude...” from one of the stories of “The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night”, the story “The Fox and the Crow” (translated by Richard Francis Burton):

I have fared content in my solitude With wate’er befel, and led life of ease, On a water-draught and a bite of bread, Coarse salt and a gown of tattered frieze: Allah might, an He pleased, give me easiest life, But with whatso pleaseth Him self I please.

One of close in spirit stories on the subject is the story “Iskandar Zu al-Karnayn and a Certain Tribe of Poor Folk”, given in the above-mentioned book.

Main Page.