Here is my translation of the song Století of the Czech group Žlutý pes. Žlutý pes Století / Century Tenhle táborák už dohasíná a já koukám sem a tam a s nehtem z bůvola si polívku zamíchám docela sám This campfire is already dying out and I look here and there and with nails of buffalo I mix myself a soup quite alone čekám ve svitu měsíce a v duši mám malej stín otázek tisíce, ale jednu věc dobře vím I am waiting in the moonshine and have a small shadow in my soul a thousand questions, but one thing I know well až napočítám pomalu do pěti, tak tohle století už dávno nepoletí nikam a já mu zazpívám when I count slowly to five, then this century won't fly anywhere and I will begin to sing miláčku, spi zavři očka sví darling, sleep close your eyes Až vyjdou zejtra nový planety, už budeš dávno spát a všechny tvoje strašný úlety se nám budou lepší zdát a i když kolem všichni tleskají už budeš muset jít estráda končí, musíš to pochopit When a new planet rises tomorrow, you will sleep late(?) and all your awful trips(?) will seem better to us (I don't get it) and even when everyone around us clap, you will have to go the show will be over, you must understand this
I’m not sure what does “nehet z bůvola” (correct: buvola) mean here. Perhaps a mixing spoon made of buffalo nail? I know the time could “fly” in English, but I’m nor sure about century, hence to loose translation. už = already už + negation ~ negation + (any)more dávno = long time ago (often incorrectly used in place of “for long time”) This resembles Kryl’s: Spinkej, synáčku, spi, zavři očička svý Wov, “úlet”, that’s a word for this thread. “Úlet” is something crazy, crazy step, stupid mistake (often used for infidelity, for example). Adjectives like “děsný” or “strašný” are common intensifiers (possibly positive!). all your craziness will seem better to us ~ we will find better all your crazy steps ~ we will get over all your foolish acts
Wer, Thanks for the detailed explanations! I wonder if "s nehtem z buvola" refers to a mixing spoon made of buffalo horn? http://www.ecanyons.com/bone-horn-horn-bowls-spoon-knife-c-323_348.html
Yes, I know, I googled something similar. It seems to me like incorrect literal translation of English “buffalo nail” which, at least according to my google tests, seems to be an infrequent alternative for “buffalo horn”. In Czech, we don’t call it “nehet” (= nail) but “rohovina” (= the substance of which the horn is composed). Sometimes we can use the term “roh” (= horn) as well, but that refers strictly to the horn itself, not to the substance.