Poems and Songs of Vladimir Vysotsky. In a Faraway Kingdom.

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Commentary to “The Song of Goger-Moger”.

This song could be performed on his behalf by Nikita Khrushchev, as well as by any of the successors of his business, both from the past and the present. And the offensive words, which the hero of the song says about the poets who wield power, relate to Joseph Dzhugashvili, who implemented a national-ori­ent­ed policy.

Here is his poem “The Lay Brother” (1949), where he wrote about his obedience to the Creator:

It’s time to tell some words my future judges: Of course, in many cases I wasn’t right! But I didn’t regulate what came about, I always felt myself in someone’s sight. I had no chance for resting nor for sleeping, He lived in me and ruled from the inside. And, as a bondman of the worldwide spirit, I held the reins both fast and bona fide. Who was this One, my enigmatical master? Wherefore His will through me had to perform? Of the new road a sedulous disciple, His orders I fulfilled with heart and soul. And everything was then incomprehensible: Where did came from will, spirit and great force? My words came true — our foe became prostrated, We utterly defeated his black hordes. And only then, at that victorious spring-time, He uttered very softly in my ear, “All of My orders thou hast fulfilled now, And peace deserved by thee is very near.”

The portrait painted in the song is very accurate. But let us not forget that when Goger-Moger came to power, Rossia was on the verge of disintegration, that he made the decision to return Crimea and, albeit very belatedly, gave the order to start a military operation to protect the Russians in Ukraine.

Here it is pertinent to recall Igor Strelkov’s “Parable” (2017) (this parable is in Russian). The unjust conviction of the author is an additional confirmation of his rightness.

It is well known that the role model of the person symbolized by the hero of the song is Peter I, who started the process of eradicating the Russian spirit at the state lev­el, and who was called the Antichrist by the people. But, in his endeavor to establish life in Rossia, Peter I invited European officers, scientists and all kinds of capable people; and during the rule of his admirer, the country has become flooded with savages from Trans­cau­ca­sia and Central Asia, who, with the full support of the authorities, have gone from being our guests to the invaders, what has put Rossia — together with unprecedented pres­sure on her from the West through sanc­tions and the war in Ukraine — in the most dangerous, probably, position for the entire time of her existence.

And how harmful to our country is his reverent attitude to the personality and legacy of the first president of Rossia, whereas there has never been a ruler more despised and hated by the people!

Vladimir Vysotsky wrote about that president in the poems “In one power...” and “There was a sovereign...” (1966), here is the latter:

There was a sovereign In a certain time, Who had off-hand manners, And had no mind.

It looks suspicious that Goger-Moger shows great enthusiasm in digitizing everything that is possible and worships the imaginary power of artificial in­telligence.

It is strongly alarming that he conducts the military campaign indecisively, has refused to carry out a new mobilization and put the economy on the mil­i­tary track, and seeks to come to an agreement with the implacable enemy at all costs, while we need an unconditional victory to ensure the security of our Motherland.

There is no justification for his ignoring the need for new industrialization, as well as for selling Russian raw materials and energy resources to the enemy...

Is not this person was sung about in a song popular among Soviet teenagers, “Our port was often visited by ships...”, as “he’s not ours, he’s not from the ocean”?

That song is not as simple as it seems at first sight (pretty Mary can symbolize both Rossia and the whole world).

To all appearances, the events described in this once popular song have already happened in 2023 — in this case, the captain symbolizes Yevgeny Prigo­zhin, and the unfine young man symbolizes the system created by Goger-Moger, which was opposed by Yevgeny Prigozhin and which has destroyed him, but this does not ex­clude the possibility of repeating similar events in the future.

The song was written in 1978 for the play of the Taganka Theater “Turandot or, The Congress of Whitewashers” (1979).

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