Songs
Rodina slyshit, 'The motherland hears'
by Dmitri Shostakovich From Four Songs to Words by Evgeny Dolmatovsky (1951) Op. 86
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Translation
The motherland hears
English translation ©
Philip Ross Bullock
The motherland hears,
The motherland knows,
Where her son
Flies in the clouds.
With a friendly embrace,
And tender love,
From the crimson stars
Of Moscow’s towers,
Of the towers of the Kremlin,
She watches over you,
She watches over you.
The motherland hears,
The motherland knows,
The hardships faced by her son
In his search for victory.
But, righteous and brave,
He will never give up:
With all your destiny
You affirm,
You defend
The great cause of peace,
The great cause of the world!
The motherland hears,
The motherland knows,
What her son
Encounters on his way,
How you open a path
Through the clouds,
However wildly
The dark storm rages,
Whatever happens,
Be unbending, comrade!
Be unbending, comrade!
The motherland knows,
Where her son
Flies in the clouds.
With a friendly embrace,
And tender love,
From the crimson stars
Of Moscow’s towers,
Of the towers of the Kremlin,
She watches over you,
She watches over you.
The motherland hears,
The motherland knows,
The hardships faced by her son
In his search for victory.
But, righteous and brave,
He will never give up:
With all your destiny
You affirm,
You defend
The great cause of peace,
The great cause of the world!
The motherland hears,
The motherland knows,
What her son
Encounters on his way,
How you open a path
Through the clouds,
However wildly
The dark storm rages,
Whatever happens,
Be unbending, comrade!
Be unbending, comrade!
Composer
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich was a Russian composer and pianist. He achieved fame in the Soviet Union, although later developed a more complex and difficult relationship with the government. As a composer, he combined a variety of different musical…
Performances
Upcoming Performances
- Shostakovich: A life in song 22 Oct 2025