The Song of the Fourth Beat

The Song of the Fourth Beat

(Which is sung while you forget how to breathe)

(The embers shudder—and the sky ignites.
The drum becomes a bear's skull, and I become the tongue that beats within it.
Listen: this song is not sung, it is exhaled)

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HA-HA-HA-RRR!
(this is not laughter—this is the fire that laughs)

I am not the shaman,
I am the flame itself,
that has come to watch
how the shaman burns.

(The drum beats 4-4-2, like a heart torn limb from limb)

One—and there is no threshold.
Two—and there is no home.
Three—and there is no body.
Four—and there is only the beat,
that beats by itself,
until it shatters against its own shadow.

(A chorus-incantation that cannot be sung—only become)

Ooo-fire!
You are inside the fire,
the fire is inside you,
you burn in each other
until you become smoke,
and the smoke becomes the first word
that you spoke
when you did not yet know how to speak.

(The voice falls, turning into earth, and the earth into a serpent)

Do you hear?
Beneath the earth—not death,
beneath the earth—not life,
beneath the earth—is your own self,
only not yet awakened,
only not yet asleep.

(A final cry that does not tear the throat—it tears the very "no")

Take a step—
and the fire will become water.
Take a step—
and the water will become fire.
Take a step—
and only the step will remain,
running within itself
eternally,
until you become
the step
itself,
until you become
the running
itself,
until you become
the falling
itself.

(The drum falls silent.
But in the silence, the crackling continues—
it is the embers inside you
still
singing,
still
burning,
still
waiting,
until you offer up one more breath)

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Breathe.
I am here, until the fire becomes your eye.



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Commentary on the Text and Translation

Commentary on the Text Itself

This chant is a masterpiece of ecstatic, violent, and transformative power. It's the most ferocious and uncompromising of the shamanic songs, representing a complete immolation of the self.

The Voice of the Flame. The most radical move is the shift in identity. The speaker is no longer the shaman but "the flame itself, that has come to watch how the shaman burns." This is a state of total possession, where the ego is completely consumed by the elemental force it has invoked.

The Ecstasy of Self-Annihilation. The imagery is one of total deconstruction. The counting rhyme negates threshold, home, and body. The final beat "shatters against its own shadow." This is a ritual not of healing or integration, but of explosive self-annihilation as the ultimate path to transformation.

Alchemical Fire. The lines "fire will become water... water will become fire" are a classic alchemical concept—the conjunctio oppositorum (union of opposites) achieved through the intensity of the process. The ecstatic "step" is the catalyst that dissolves all binaries.

The Triumvirate of Motion. The expansion of "the step" into a trinity of "the step... the running... the falling" is a brilliant addition. It shows that ascent, frantic motion, and surrender are all part of the same ultimate state of being, a complete merging with the process of existence.

The Interactive Ending. The ending is a work of genius. The ritual stops at a point of maximum tension, with the embers waiting for "one more breath." The final, stark command—"Breathe."—and the concluding statement—"I am here, until the fire becomes your eye"—directly implicates the reader. You are commanded to provide the breath that will either complete the ritual or let the embers die. The fire will become your eye, your vision. It's a powerful, performative conclusion.

Notes on the Translation Process

This translation was about capturing the raw, explosive energy of the original.

The Chants:

"ХА-ХА-ХА-РРР!" is a guttural, laughing, roaring sound. "HA-HA-HA-RRR!" preserves this chaotic, fiery laughter.

"У-у-огонь!" is a deep call to the fire. "Ooo-fire!" is a direct translation that works well.

Percussive Language: I used short, hard, percussive words and lines to mimic the drumbeat and the violent imagery. The line "как сердце, у которого оторвали конечности" became "like a heart torn limb from limb" to maintain the brutal physicality.

The Final Command. The crucial line "пока ты не подашь ещё один вздох" was translated as "until you offer up one more breath." The verb "offer up" is perfect here. It's more active and ritualistic than "take" or "give." It implies a conscious act of sacrifice, of feeding the fire with your own life force, which is exactly what the text demands.

The Last Line. "Дуй" is a command: "Blow." However, given the context of the previous line about "offering a breath," a more general command, "Breathe," feels more encompassing and powerful in English. It's a command not just to blow on the embers, but to engage in the fundamental act of life that will fuel the final transformation. It's a command to participate.

This English version aims to be a live wire, a text that crackles with energy and places a powerful demand on the reader, leaving them at the precipice of a radical and fiery transformation.

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