Jáchym Topol (brother of the late Filip Topol from Psí vojáci, which I covered on this blog) was not allowed to publish officially until 1989, but his poems were spread in samizdat. Udržuj svou ledničku plnou (Keep Your Fridge Full) is part of his first collection of poetry, Miluju tě k zbláznění (I Love You Madly, 1990, samizdat 1988). Since then, he has published a number of novels that were translated into several languages, and two of them were adapted to films.
Monika Načeva is a Czech actress and singer who often works with notable poets and musicians. Her work is astonishingly diverse, ranging from punk and rock to chanson or trip-hop. This is definitely not the last time you see her on this blog, because I find her one of the most interesting Czech musicians, and I highly recommend you go and find more of her work.
Note the use of the pronoun "svůj". In Czech, this pronoun is used when the object belongs to the person in the subject. E.g.: "Dal to své dceři." = He gave it to his own daughter. "Dal to jeho dceři." = He gave it to someone else's (who was mentioned earlier in the text) daughter. This is particularly important in order to understand the line "sebe si nesu, svůj otrok." If it was "můj otrok", it would mean simply "my slave", as the slave and the owner would be two people. This way, they are one, I. I am owned by myself, I am my own slave. Whew, complicated :-)
Udržuj svou ledničku plnou
Máš to rád
you like it
když
when
den
day
posype
sprinkles, scatters
tě
you (acc.)
popelem
[with] ash (instr.)
You like it when the day scatters ash on you
Jó,
yeah
mám to rád
I like it
když
when
mi
[to] me (dat.)
popeláři
dustmen
končej
[they] end, finish
den
day
Yeah, I like it when the dustmen end my day
Tím
[with] that (instr.)
rachotem,
rumble (instr.)
jo, tím rachotem
With that rumble, yeah, with that rumble
Máš to rád když den posype tě popelem
You like it when the day scatters ash on you
A
and
duše
soul
na
on
talíři
plate (loc.)
rozprostřená
spread
je
is
jak
like
lágr
(slang) concentration camp
And the soul spread on the plate is like a [concentration] camp
Sebe
myself
si
(reflexive pronoun)
nesu,
carry
svůj
my own
otrok,
slave
sebenegr
self-negro
I carry myself, my own slave, a self-negro
A duše na talíři rozprostřená je jak lágr
And the soul spread on the plate is like a [concentration] camp
Sebe si nesu, svůj otrok, sebenegr
I carry myself, my own slave, a self-negro
Chorus:
A
and
co
what
seš
you are; colloquial
shrbenej,
hunched, bent
co
what
to
it, used for emphasis
taháš
lug, drag, pull
And why are you hunched, what are you lugging
A co seš shrbenej
And why are you hunched
Každej
everyone (coll.)
si
[for themselves]
hledá
look for, search for (3rd p.sg.)
svý,
their own; coll.
kam
where (to)
sebe
oneself
vrazit
thrust, ram
Everyone looks for their own, where to thrust themselves,
každej si hledá svý
Everyone looks for their own
Každej si hledá svý kam sebe vrazit
Everyone looks for their own, where to thrust themselves,
každej si hledá svý
Everyone looks for their own
Nejsem
I'm not
temný,
dark
jsem
I am
jemný
tender, gentle
v
in
hezkým
nice, pretty
svetru
sweater (loc.)
I'm not dark, I'm gentle, in a nice sweater
Jsem
I am
sekáč
ace, corker, swell
všech
[of] all (gen.)
svejch
my (own) (gen.pl.)
rodin
families (gen.pl.)
I'm an ace of all my families
Udržuju
I keep
svou
my (own) (acc.)
ledničku
fridge
plnou
full (acc.)
Udržuju svou ledničku plnou
Se
with
sousedy
neighbours (instr.pl.)
nekomunikuju,
I don't communicate
kontempluju
I contemplate
I don't communicate with my neighbours, I contemplate
Udržuju svou ledničku plnou
I keep my fridge full
Chorus
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