Songs

Grokhochet bitva, bleshut broni,
The battle rages, the armour flashes,
Orud'ja zhadnye revut,
Bronze canons roar,
Begut polki, nesutsja koni
Regiments charge, horses gallop by
I reki krasnye tekut.
And red rivers flow.
Pylajet polden', ljudi b'jutsja;
Midday burns and men still fight;
Sklonilos' solnce, boj sil'nej;
The sun sinks low, yet the battle rages ever more;
Zakat blednejet, no derutsja
Twilight fades, yet enemies are locked
Vragi vse jarostnej i zlej.
More violently, more fiercely in conflict.
I pala noch' na pole brani.
Night falls on the field of battle.
Druzhiny v mrake razoshlis'...
Legions disperse in the darkness…
Vsjo stikhlo, i v nochnom tumane
All is calm, and in the darkness of night
Stenan'ja k nebu podnjalis'.
Groans rise up to the sky.
Togda, ozarena lunoju,
And then, in the moonlight,
Na bojevom svojom kone,
On her warhorse,
Kostej sverkaja beliznoju,
Her white bones shining brightly,
Javilas' smert'; i v tishine,
Death appears; and in the silence,
Vnimaja vopli i molitvy,
Listening to the groans and prayers
Dovol'stva gordogo polna,
With pride and pleasure,
Kak polkovodec mesto bitvy
She bestrides the field of battle
Krugom ob"ekhala ona.
Like a field marshal.
Na kholm podnjavshis', ogljanulas',
From atop of a mound she looks around,
Ostanovilas', ulybnulas'...
Stops and smiles…
I nad ravninoj bojevoj
And across the war-torn plain
Razdalsja golos rokovoj:
Rings the sound of her fateful voice:
,,Konchena bitva! ja vsekh pobedila!
‘The battle is over! I have vanquished you all!
Vse predo mnoj vy smirilis', bojcy!
You have all surrendered before me, ye warriors!
Zhizn' vas possorila, ja pomirila!
Life set you at odds, but I have reconciled you!
Druzhno vstavajte na smotr, mertvecy!
Stand to attention for review, ye dead!
Marshem torzhestvennym mimo projdite,
March by in solemn procession,
Vojsko mojo ja khochu soschitat';
I wish to account for my troops;
V zemlju potom svoi kosti slozhite,
Then lay down your bones in the earth,
Sladko ot zhizni v zemle otdykhat'!
And rest sweetly rest, life’s labours down!
Gody nezrimo projdut za godami,
The years will pass by imperceptibly,
V ljudjakh ischeznet i pamjat' o vas.
And you will slip from the memory of the living.
Ja ne zabudu i gromko nad vami
Yet I will not forget you and will host
Pir budu pravit' v polunochnyj chas!
A banquet at midnight over your bones!
Pljaskoj tjazhjoloju zemlju syruju
The heavy tread of my dance will trample down
Ja pritopchu, chtoby sen' grobovuju
The moist earth, so that your bones may never more
Kosti pokinut' vovek ne mogli,
Escape the fastness of the grave,
Chtob nikogda vam ne vstat' iz zemli!’’
So that you may never more rise from the grave!’