(5%) Trishka’s caftan got torn at the elbows.
What is there to spend a long time thinking about? He took a needle.
He cut a quarter off of each sleeve,
And patched the elbows. The caftan is all ready again.
Only the arms have become one quarter barer.
So what, is that a misfortune?
However, everybody is laughing at Trishka.
But Trishka says: Well I am no fool,
And I will remedy that trouble.
(15%)I will patch the sleeves and make them even longer than before.
(10%)Oh, Trishka is nobody's fool!
(20%)He cut off the tails and hems,
(25%)And made the sleeve endings longer.
(30%)and now my Trishka is happy.
(35%)Although he is wearing a caftan,
That is shorter than many an undershirt.
I have sometimes seen certain gentlemen
Who, having made a mess of their affairs,
Then correct them in a similar way;