Баллада о бедном цирюльнике [Ballada o bednom tsiryulʹnike] [English translation]

More terrible stories you wil not find,

There are no sadder ballads in the world,

Than this- about poor Todd Barber,

And his young beautiful wife, Betty

With a beautiful baby daughter, Todd and Betty

Lived happily in their cozy barber house.

But then returning home after penalty,

Belle met a lustful judge

-Belle met a lustful judge

Her initial perception of the judge was accurate:

He concocted a deal based on false accusations..

And Todd was separated from his wife and daughter

There he was, a poor barer, exiled to Botany Bay

Betty was prosecuted by the Judge,

While her husband was encased in iron…

And she threw herself into the river at dawn

And her young body floated down the Thames.

-And her young body floated down the Thames

A sadder tale you will not find,

Neither in the “Times”, not any other newspaper

Than this- about the poor barber Todd,

And his beautiful young wife Betty