"Farewell of Slavianka" is a Russian patriotic march, written and composed in 1912 by Vasily Agapkin in honour of the Slavic women accompanying their husbands in the First Balkan War.[1] It was officially adopted in 1937.
Later that year, it premiered in Tambov, hence it is the anthem of Tambov Oblast in Russia to this day and also known as the Anthem of Tambov Oblast.[2]
Lyrics[]
1970 version[]
The song first received official lyrics under the Soviet leadership. It was made by Aleksandr Galich. The first version made under the Soviet Union was in 1941, but it lyrics didn't mention the Battle of Berlin, so it was later revised in 1970.
Russian lyrics[]
| Cyrillic script | Latin script |
|---|---|
Этот марш не смолкал на перронах |
Etot marš ne smolkal na perronah |
English translation[]
This march was not silent on the platforms
When the foe clouded the horizon
With it, our fathers, in smoking railcars
Were brought to the front by trains.
He preserved Moscow in '41,
In '45, he marched on Berlin
He marched as a soldier to victory
Along the roads of tough years.
And if the country
Calleth us to war
For our motherland
We all shall march to sacred war!
Wheat rustleth in the fields
My Motherland marcheth,
To the heights of joy,
Through all misfortunes,
On the path of peace and labour.
1984 version[]
This version written by Vladimir Lazarev in 1984 has gained popularity since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 due to slower tempo and the addition of human fragility factor.[5]
Russian lyrics[]
| Cyrillic script | Latin script |
|---|---|
Наступает минута прощания, |
Nastupajet minuta proščanija, |
English translation[]
The minute of farewell beginneth
Thou lookest into my eyes with anxiety.
I catch thy dear breath,
And a storm formeth far away already.
The blue, misty air trembleth,
And anxiety toucheth my temples,
And Russia calleth us for heroic deeds,
One can feel the wind of the marching regiments.
Farewell, homeland,
remember us.
Farewell, familiar faces,
forgiving farewell, forgiving farewell.
Farewell, homeland,
remember us.
Farewell, o dear gaze,
not all of us will come back.
Fly, fly the years
And trains disappear in the darkness,
And soldiers are in them,
And in the dark sky
Shineth the soldier's star.
1997 version[]
A more patriotic version of the song, as written about half a decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was written by Andrej Mingalöv.[6]
Russian lyrics[]
| Cyrillic script | Latin script |
|---|---|
Встань за Веру, Русская Земля! |
Vstanj za Veru, Russkaja Zemlja! |
English translation[]
Arise for faith, o Russian land!
We composed many a song in our heart,
Glorifying the native land.
We loved thee no matter what,
Thou, our holy Russian land.
Thou hast raised thy head high,
Thy face was shining like the sun.
But thou hast become a victim of betrayal –
by those who have thee cheated and sold!
Chorus:
And again in march trumpet calleth us.
We all stand in order
And go to the holy battle.
Arise for faith, o Russian land!
The saints await Russia's victory.
Respond, o Orthodox host!
Where is thine Ilya, where is thy Dobrynya?
Mother Homeland summoneth her sons.
We will stand all together under the gonfalons.
And go, praying, as a procession,
For the right cause of Russia
We will shed Russian blood honestly.
Chorus
Arise for faith, o Russian land!
We are all children of a great empire,
We all remember the commandments of our fathers:
For the Homeland, Honor, Glory,
Pity neither thyself nor the enemy.
Arise, Russia, from thy prison of slavery,
Victory's spirit is called: time for battle!
Rise thy battle flags
For Faith, Love, and Good.
Chorus
Anthem of Tambov Oblast[]
The melody of the original song, "Farewell of Slavianka", was used for the Tambov Oblast anthem with modified lyrics written on 22 May 2002 by A. Mitrofanov.[2]
Russian lyrics[]
| Cyrillic script | Latin script |
|---|---|
На просторах бескрайних и синих, |
Na prostorah beskrajnih i sinih, |
English translation[]
In the expanse of endless and blue,
Where birches are admired by Tsna,
In the heart of the great Russia
Thou art spread; our home region.
Heat-lightnings blaze ominously,
But in thy history of terrible centuries
Thou art written the pages of thy glory,
Keep out of the shackles honour and freedom.
Chorus:
Our Tambov Region,
Rise in the centuries!
Thou art the glory by thy people,
The Lord will bless and save thee!
And let the years are fly,
Thou art with us, our region, forever.
From there were are born,
And with this region
We have one destiny.
From there we are born,
And with this region
We have one destiny.
Chorus
Checking thy step with the pulse of the Motherland,
Our lovely region looketh forward,
Multiply the glory of thy faithful sons,
Stepping firmly towards happiness.
Let success be more noticeable,
Our beloved region increaseth in beauty,
On a graceful land forever
Blossom with the colour of thine apple trees.
Chorus
"My Comrade in Death Throes"[]
The same melody of the song is used for the poem "My Comrade in Death Throes", written by Soviet/Israeli WWII tank ace Ion Degen.[7][8]
Russian lyrics[]
| Cyrillic script | Latin script |
|---|---|
Ты не плачь, не стони, ты не маленький, |
Ty ne plačj, ne stoni, ty ne malenjkij, |
English translation[]
Cry not, moan not, thou art a baby not,
Thou art wounded not, thou art killed simply.
Let me take off thy valenki,
We are yet to delve into attack.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ http://moskvam.ru/publications/publication_414.html
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Текст гимна Тамбовской области, tambov.gov.ru
- ↑ https://teksty-pesenok.ru/rus-proshhanie-slavyanki/tekst-pesni-etot-marsh-ne-smolkal-na-per/1897690/
- ↑ http://www.sovmusic.ru/text.php?fname=proshan2
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Прощание славянки / Slavic Woman's Farewell, Russia and The Other: A Cultural Approach. Stanford.edu
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Прощание славянки / Slavic Woman's Farewell - Patriotic Version, Russia and The Other: A Cultural Approach, Stanford.edu
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://www.novayagazeta.ru/articles/2008/05/08/38174-ty-ne-ranen-ty-prosto-ubit
- ↑ http://2005.novayagazeta.ru/nomer/2005/33n/n33n-s24.shtml