I happened to be watching THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, and was struck by the sound of the crew of the submarine singing the Soviet Union's national anthem as the ship's silent drive was engaged ... and realised that I had no idea what lyrics were!
The crew of the Red October singing the Soviet Union's national anthem as the silect drive is engaged.
I resolved to rectify that and found that there are several translations of the original Russian lyrics, including an official 1944 CPSU (Communist Party of the Soviet Union) version.
The original Russian words are:
Союз нерушимый республик свободных
Сплотила навеки Великая Русь.
Да здравствует созданный волей народов
Единый, могучий Советский Союз!
Славься, Отечество наше свободное,
Дружбы народов надёжный оплот!
Знамя советское, знамя народное
Пусть от победы к победе ведёт!
Сквозь грозы сияло нам солнце свободы,
И Ленин великий нам путь озарил:
Нас вырастил Сталин — на верность народу,
На труд и на подвиги нас вдохновил!
Славься, Отечество наше свободное,
Счастья народов надёжный оплот!
Знамя советское, знамя народное
Пусть от победы к победе ведёт!
Мы армию нашу растили в сраженьях.
Захватчиков подлых с дороги сметём!
Мы в битвах решаем судьбу поколений,
Мы к славе Отчизну свою поведём!
Славься, Отечество наше свободное,
Славы народов надёжный оплот!
Знамя советское, знамя народное
Пусть от победы к победе ведёт!
In Romanised script, it reads as follows:
Soyúz nerushímyy respúblik svobódnykh
Splotíla navéki velíkaya Rus.
Da zdrávstvuyet sózdannyy vóley naródov
Yedínyy, mogúchiy Sovétskiy Soyúz!
Slávsya, Otéchestvo náshe svobódnoye,
Drúzhby naródov nadyózhnyy oplót!
Známya sovétskoye, známya naródnoye
Pust ot pobédy k pobéde vedyót!
Skvoz grózy siyálo nam sólnce svobódy,
I Lénin velíkiy nam put ozaríl
Nas výrastil Stálin — na vérnost naródu,
Na trud i na pódvigi nas vdokhnovíl!
Slávsya, Otéchestvo náshe svobódnoye,
Schástia naródov nadyózhnyy oplót!
Známya sovétskoye, známya naródnoye
Pust ot pobédy k pobéde vedyót!
My ármiyu náshu rastíli v srazhéniakh.
Zakhvátchikov pódlykh s dorógi smetyóm!
My v bítvakh resháyem sudbú pokoléniy,
My k sláve Otchíznu svoyú povedyóm!
Slávsya, Otéchestvo náshe svobódnoye,
Slávy naródov nadyózhnyy oplót!
Známya sovétskoye, známya naródnoye
Pust ot pobédy k pobéde vedyót!
The 1944 official CPSU translation of the lyrics are as follows:
Unbreakable Union of freeborn Republics
Great Russia has welded forever to stand;
Created in struggle by will of the peoples,
United and mighty, our Soviet land!
Sing to our Motherland, glory undying,
Bulwark of peoples in brotherhood strong!
Flag of the Soviets, peoples' flag flying,
Lead us from victory to victory on!
Through tempests, the sunrays of freedom have cheered us,
Along the new path where great Lenin lead,
Be true to the people, thus Stalin has reared us,
Inspired us to labour and valorous deed!
Sing to our Motherland, glory undying,
Bulwark of peoples in brotherhood strong!
Flag of the Soviets, peoples' flag flying,
Lead us from victory to victory on!
Our army grew up in the heat of grim battle,
Barbarian invaders, we'll swiftly strike down.
In combat the fate of the future we'll settle,
Our country we'll lead to eternal renown!
Sing to our Motherland, glory undying,
Bulwark of peoples in brotherhood strong!
Flag of the Soviets, peoples' flag flying,
Lead us from victory to victory on!
The lyric were amended after the death of Stalin, and the line that reads 'Be true to the people, thus Stalin has reared us/i>' was changed to 'To a righteous cause, he raised the people'.
The flag of the Soviet Union.
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Slava Kova!
ReplyDeleteSlorm,
DeleteGlory seems to be a word used very frequently in national anthems.
All the best,
Bob
Bob -
ReplyDeleteI don't like national anthems: only the original, 'Marseillaise', was any good. Having said that, I discover that the English translation of the Soviet anthem may be sung to the tune of
'Deutschland, Deutschland, uber alles'... (I tried it).
I rather think that we in the ... erm ... West (this from longitude 172.6E) are inclined to forget that other people also take pride in their countries, and will fight and endure for them.
The noises I'm hearing in respect of the conflict centred upon Ukraine is that Russia and its people have not only rediscovered their national pride - battered and bruised after the West-orchestrated feeding frenzy of the 1990s - but have had revealed to them that they were a 'normal country', after all.
Cheers,
Ion
One curiosity is that the two anthems which feature in Tchaikovsky's famous "1812" overture (op.49, dating from 1880) - the Marseillaise and "God save the Tsar" - were anachronisms: Napoleon had apparently banned the Marseillaise in 1805 (presumably as being too republican) and it only resumed its role as France's anthem in the 1870s, i.e. after the fall of Napoleon III. And the Russian national anthem from 1815-33 used the same tune as our "God save the King" -- as have anthems in several other countries. The Russian anthem we know from the "1812" in fact dates from later in the C19th.
DeleteMeanwhile, the Austro-Hungarisns used Haydn's 1797 tune for their "Gott erhalte" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEtbu65YMVA), which was the same tune as used for the German "Deutschland uber alles". Earlier Prussian national anthems are at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xtVUsTgK-g (1830-1840) and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnX8F0bCdjk (1820). It might help if the monarch is also an accomplished composer, though while Frederick the Great is said to have written the Hohenfriedberger March (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XC_rq1OEB8) and plenty of other pieces, I don't know that he tried his hand at an anthem.
I suspect those national anthems originally written in the 18th or early 19th centuries simply lack the power of late C19th/early C20th epics -- like Elgar's "Land of Hope and Glory" or his triumphal march from Caractacus, Parry's "I was Glad," Verdi's triumphal march from "Aida," or the coronation scene from Modest Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov" (though the tune Mussorgsky uses for the "Slava" [glory] anthem here is very much older, and one version of it even made it to the Oxford Book of Carols).
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteWhenever I discuss national anthems, I am put in mind of the Billy Connelly sketch about the speed at which some are sung … particularly ‘God Save The King’.
Some can be stirring, some can be quite dirge-like, some can really boost the spirits of those singing it.
The recent Six Nations has seen several being sung with real gusto … and one can almost feel the national spirit coming at you. Mind you, if I’m watching rugby and either of the New Zealand teams are playing and they do a Haka … well, that’s enough to give even the strongest person pause for thought!
All the best,
Bob
Toby E,
DeleteNational anthems have interesting histories, with some current ones - like the US one - only becoming official relatively recently.
Spain’s has words … but no one has sung them since Franco died … and yet the words, which begin ‘Gloria! Gloria! …’ are certainly very stirring, but became tainted by association. The Republican anthem had quite a jolly tune and I gather is still sung on occasions by supporters of the Republican cause.
The era after the Napoleonic Wars seems to have been when ‘national anthems’ rather than patriotic songs such as ‘Rule Britannia!’ (and later ‘Jerusalem’) came to the fore. Personally, I’d much rather sing these than ‘God Save The King’ … but that just my personal choice of what I think are better tunes and lyrics and not my opinion of the sentiments expressed in the former.
As an aside, the first time I sang the national anthem after the death of the Queen, it somehow felt very odd and not quite right. Years of conditioning, I suppose.
All the best,
Bob
Bob -
DeleteThe haka performed by the All Black's used to be the one composed by the chief Te Rauparaha (mid-19th Century). A very loose and abbreviated 'translation' might be: 'News of my death have been greatly exaggerated'. He had narrowly escaped his pursuers (this during the course of the 'Musket Wars' - internecine wars among Maori tribes (iwi) as they acquired firearms and used them to settle scores against neighbours without).
For some reason I don't understand, someone decided that the pre-match haka could be improved upon. Who decided this I have no idea - but one suspects that it was a person whose sense of humour - and of sportsmanship - have been surgically removed.
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteI had no idea of the history of the Gaia other than it was a Māori tradition and was a ‘challenge’ to an opponent.
Whatever the words might say - and the original ones sound as if they certainly contained a wonderful taunt to his enemies - it still conveys the feeling of ‘Come on, if you think you’re hard enough’.
All the best,
Bob
There is another great movie version of the Red Army singing it in Berlin after the announcement of the end of hostilities...just type in the description on YouTube and I am sure you will find it Bob.
ReplyDeleteRross,
DeleteI will certainly look that out the next time I’m on YouTube. It sounds as if I’d enjoy it.
All the best,
Bob