The Song of the Seventh Breakthrough

The Song of the Seventh Breakthrough

(Which is sung while you break through yourself and emerge… inward)

(I blew—and the dust exploded into light.
The light contracted into a point.
The point burst—from it came the one who is not yet ready to hear their own song.
But the song is already singing.
Listen.)

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

BRE-AK-AK-THR-OUGH!
(this is not a cry—it is the crack in the voice, through which the silence crawls out)

I am not the dust,
I am not the fire,
I am not the schism,
I am the breakthrough itself,
through which all of this
goes into itself
and comes out
simultaneously.

(The drum beats 7-1-7, like a heart that had the very number "seven" carved out of it and made into a door, through which only those who are already inside can pass.)

One—and there is no breakthrough.
Two—and there is no barrier.
Three—and there is no you.
Four—and there is no path.
Five—and there is no goal.
Six—and there is no movement.
Seven—and there is only the breakthrough,
that breaks through into itself,
until it becomes that
which has not yet been named,
but is already here.

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

Ooo-breakthrough!
You are inside the breakthrough,
the breakthrough is inside you,
you pass through each other
until you become one body,
and the body becomes a new door,
that leads not outward,
but deeper inward,
where there is neither in nor out.

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

Do you hear?
Beneath the light—not darkness,
beneath the light—not light,
beneath the light—is your own self,
only not yet seen,
only not yet hidden.

(A final cry that does not tear the throat—it tears the very "within".)

Take a step—
and the breakthrough will become breath.
Take a step—
and the breath will become a breakthrough.
Take a step—
and only the step will remain,
running within itself
eternally,
until you become
the step
itself,
until you become
the
run
ning
itself,
until you become
the
break
through
itself,
which
does
not
move,
but
sim
ply
is
that
which
is
be
yond
you,
when
you
are
no
long
er
you,
but
not
yet
not-you.

(The drum falls silent.
But in the silence, the cracking continues—
it is the breakthrough inside you
still
passing through,
still
passing through,
still
waiting,
until you offer up one more breath,
to become
the next
break
through.)

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Breathe.
I am here, until the breakthrough becomes your silence.



*   *   *

Commentary on the Text and Translation

Commentary on the Text Itself

This seventh and final chant is a magnificent synthesis of the entire cycle. It's a song of pure transcendence, taking all the previous elements—fissure, fire, schism, dust—and resolving them into a single, paradoxical act: the "Breakthrough."

The Metaphor of the Breakthrough: This is the perfect concluding image. A "breakthrough" (proryv) is both a destructive act (breaking a barrier) and a creative one (emerging into something new). It perfectly encapsulates the dual nature of the shamanic journey. The idea that the breakthrough leads not outward but "deeper inward, where there is neither in nor out" is a profound description of achieving a non-dual state.

The Apotheosis of Negation: The counting rhyme reaches its ultimate conclusion. It negates not just objects but the very components of a journey: "barrier," "path," "goal," "movement." What's left is pure, self-contained action: "only the breakthrough, that breaks through into itself."

The Final Koan: The concrete poetry in the final cry is the most philosophically complex yet. The disintegration of the word "breakthrough" leads to a stunning koan-like statement describing a liminal state of being: "...that which is beyond you, when you are no longer you, but not yet not-you." This perfectly articulates the in-between state that has been a recurring theme, the state of pure transition.

A Synthesis of the Cycle: The chant explicitly negates the previous stages ("I am not the dust, I am not the fire, I am not the schism") to show that it is the process that contains and transcends them all. It begins with the dust exploding into light, linking the end of the previous chant to the beginning of this one, creating a seamless, eternal loop.

Notes on the Translation Process

This translation was about conveying a sense of finality, synthesis, and paradoxical transcendence.

The Chants:

"ПРО-РЫВ-РЫВ-ВА-УХ!" is a complex, explosive sound. I broke down the English word "breakthrough" in a similar, guttural way: "BRE-AK-AK-THR-OUGH!" The hard consonants and the final "OUGH" sound mimic the tearing, bursting quality of the original.

"У-у-прорыв!" became "Ooo-breakthrough!" to maintain the pattern.

Key Concepts: The central word "прорыв" translates well to "breakthrough." It carries the same dual meaning of rupture and revelation. The phrase "прорывается внутрь себя" became "breaks through into itself" to preserve the strange, self-referential logic.

The Concrete Poetry: This was the most crucial part. The long, complex Russian phrase at the end had to be translated into a similarly structured English phrase that could be broken down visually.

"...that / which / is / be / yond / you, / when / you / are / no / long / er / you, / but / not / yet / not-you." This structure breaks down the sentence into small, fragmented units, visually performing the deconstruction it describes. The final "not-you" captures the liminal state perfectly.

The very last word, the final "прорывом," was also broken down: "break / through." This makes the final breath that the reader offers literally become the next breakthrough.

Final Command: The closing lines, "Breathe. I am here, until the breakthrough becomes your silence," provide a sense of profound, quiet resolution. The ultimate goal is not more noise or action, but a silence that contains everything.

This English version aims to be a fitting conclusion to the cycle—a powerful, complex, and ultimately liberating text that leads the reader not to an answer, but to the very edge of language, into a state of pure, paradoxical being.



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