Legendary Sevastopol

Legendary Sevastopol («Легендарный Севастополь») is the official anthem of the Crimean city of Sevastopol. Approved by the decision of the I session of the City Council of the XXII convocation dated 29 July 1994. The music for it was composed by Vano Muradeli, and the accompanying lyrics were written by Peter Gradov.

History

Georgian composer Vano Muradeli undertook to write the anthem at the request of Vice Admiral Nicholas Kulakov, at that time a member of the military council of the Black Sea Fleet. For poetry, Muradeli turned to the poet Alexander Zharov. Poems were written, but Muradeli considered them unsuitable and turned to the poet Peter Gradov, whose poems formed the basis of the anthem.

For the first time, the song was officially performed in the House of Fleet Officers by the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Black Sea Fleet on the eve of the Day of the Soviet Navy for representatives of the command, the Political Directorate, the Military Council of the Fleet, military units, ships, city party bodies, deputies of the City Council.

Lyrics

Russian original

Ты лети, крылатый ветер,
Над морями, над землёй,
Расскажи ты всем на свете
Про любимый город мой.

Всем на свете ты поведай,
Как на крымских берегах
Воевали наши деды
И прославили в боях

Припев:
Легендарный Севастополь,
Неприступный для врагов.
Севастополь, Севастополь —
Гордость русских моряков!

Здесь на бой, святой и правый,
Шли за Родину свою
И твою былую славу
Мы умножили в бою.

Скинув чёрные бушлаты,
Черноморцы в дни войны
Здесь на танки шли с гранатой,
Шли на смерть твои сыны.

Припев

Если из-за океана
К нам враги придут с мечом,
Встретим мы гостей незваных
Истребительным огнём.

Знает вся страна родная,
Что не дремлют корабли
И надёжно охраняют
Берега родной земли.

Припев

Ukrainian version

The Ukrainian version of the anthem, known as "Great Sevastopol" («Величавий Севастополь»), was written by Myroslav Mamchak in 2000. According to an interview in the newspaper Sevastopolskaya Gazeta, it was the idea of Oleksandr Ivanov, an employee of the TV and Radio Center of the Ukrainian Navy, to perform the song in Ukrainian. In the chorus, the words "pride of Russian sailors" were changed to "the capital of Ukrainian sailors." It was performed for the first time in 2001 by Oleksandr Ivanov.

After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, the deputies of the Legislative Assembly of Sevastopol in 2015 banned the performance of the city's anthem in Ukrainian.

Хай летить велична слава
Про звитягу моряків
Севастопольських героїв —
Всіх його захисників.

Всі у світі хай узнають,
Як ескадри кораблів
I матроси за Вітчизну
Йшли у бій на ворогів.

Приспів:
Величавий Севастополь,
Місто слави й кораблів:
Білокам’яна столиця
Українських моряків.

Тут хрестились древні руси —
Володимира сини,
I святую ратну славу
В стольний Київ принесли.

Тут не раз у бій кривавий
Йшли на подвиг козаки,
Бились на смерть в бастіонах
українці-моряки.

Приспів

В бойовім строю змінили
Ветеранів їх сини,
I в серцях їх пломеніє
Героїзм Сапун-гори.

То ж якщо на нас нападуть,
Як колись у дні війни,
Знову в бій готові встати
Українські моряки.

Приспів

English translation

Fly, majestic wind of wings

Valouriously over the seas.

Reveal to the world

What a proud city you are!

Let everyone in the world know,

As squadrons on Crimean shores,

That our very forefathers

Fought hard and gloriously!

Chorus:

Legendary Sevastopol,

City of Glory, untouched by foes!

Great Capital Sevastopol –

The very pride of our sailors!

Here to fight, holy and right,

For our fathers' dignity.

And for our mighty military,

We've only gotten stronger!

We've shed blood in battle,

As our land was at war.

We've sacrified ourselves

And fought to the death!

Chorus

Our ships never sleep

For the sake of our land.

They're here to protect us

From foes across the sea!

So if we are ever attacked,

As once in the days of war,

They'll be ready to fight

As gloriously as our fathers did!

Chorus

Other performances

Starting with the 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade, the march has been performed on Red Square in honor of Victory Day.