The Sacred War

"The Sacred War"
"The Sacred War"
Song
Written	1941
Genre	Martial music
Composer(s)	Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov
Lyricist(s)	Vasily Lebedev-Kumach

"The Sacred War",^{[lower-alpha 1]} also known as "Arise, Great Country!"^{[lower-alpha 2]} is one of the most famous Soviet songs of World War II. The music is by Alexander Alexandrov, founder of the Alexandrov Ensemble and the musical composer of the State Anthem of the Soviet Union. The lyrics are by Vasily Lebedev-Kumach.^[1]

The circumstances of the composition and first performance of the song were hurried; the lyrics were published on 24 June 1941, and Alexandrov immediately wrote the music for them, writing the notes out on a blackboard for the singers to copy manually. The first performance was on 26 June at Belorussky Railway Station, where according to eyewitnesses it was sung five times in succession.^[2]

In the 1990s Russian media published the allegation that the lyrics had been plagiarized by Lebedev-Kumach, and that they were indeed written during the First World War by Aleksandr Bode (1865–1939). These claims were taken to court, and the newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta in June 2000 was forced to publish a retraction of the claim.^[3] Prof. Evgeniy Levashev (2000) still upheld doubts on the authorship, and on the reasonableness of the court's decision.^[4]

One of the most famous Soviet patriotic songs, The Sacred War has been sung in several languages including Russian,^[5] Finnish,^[6] Hungarian,^[7] Estonian,^[8] Latvian,^[9] Chinese,^[10] Korean,^[11] Japanese,^[12] Vietnamese,^[13] Hindi,^[14] Punjabi,^[15] German,^[16] French^[17] and English.^[18] There exists a version of the song in Ukrainian,^[19] however it is repurposed for the War in Donbas from the Ukrainian side and instead has anti-Soviet and anti-Russian themes.

Lyrics

Original Russian lyrics	Latin transcription	Literal English translation
First Verse
Встава́й, страна́ огро́мная, Встава́й на сме́ртный бой С фаши́стской си́лой тёмною, С прокля́тою ордо́й.	Vstaváy straná ogrómnaya, Vstaváy na smértnyy boy S fashístskoy síloy tyómnoyu, S proklyátoyu ordóy.	Arise, vast country, Arise for a fight to the death Against the dark fascist force, Against the cursed horde.
Припе́в ×2	Pripév ×2	Chorus ×2
Пусть я́рость благоро́дная Вскипа́ет, как волна́! Идёт война́ наро́дная, Свяще́нная война́!	Pustʹ yárostʹ blagoródnaya Vskipáyet, kak volná! Idyót voyná naródnaya, Svyashchénnaya voyná!	Let noble wrath Boil over like a wave! This is the people's war, a Sacred war!
Second Verse
Дади́м отпо́р души́телям Всех пла́менных идей, Наси́льникам, граби́телям, Мучи́телям люде́й!	Dadím otpór dushítelyam Vsey plámennykh idéy, Nasílʹnikam, grabítelyam, Muchítelyam lyudéy!	We shall repulse the oppressors Of all ardent ideas, The rapists and the plunderers, The torturers of people!
Припе́в	Pripév	Chorus
Пусть я́рость благоро́дная Вскипа́ет, как волна́! Идёт война́ наро́дная, Свяще́нная война́!	Pustʹ yárostʹ blagoródnaya Vskipáyet, kak volná! Idyót voyná naródnaya, Svyashchénnaya voyná!	Let noble wrath Boil over like a wave! This is the people's war, a Sacred war!
Third Verse
Не сме́ют кры́лья чёрные Над Ро́диной лета́ть, Поля́ её просто́рные Не сме́ет враг топта́ть!	Ne sméyut krýlʹya chórnye Nad ródinoy letátʹ, Polyá yeyó prostórnye Ne sméyet vrag toptátʹ!	The black wings shall not dare Fly over the Motherland, On her spacious fields The enemy shall not dare tread!
Припе́в	Pripév	Chorus
Пусть я́рость благоро́дная Вскипа́ет, как волна́! Идёт война́ наро́дная, Свяще́нная война́!	Pustʹ yárostʹ blagoródnaya Vskipáyet, kak volná! Idyót voyná naródnaya, Svyashchénnaya voyná!	Let noble wrath Boil over like a wave! This is the people's war, a Sacred war!
Fourth Verse
Гнило́й фаши́стской не́чисти Заго́ним пу́лю в лоб, Отре́бью челове́чества Сколо́тим кре́пкий гроб!	Gnilóy fashístskoy néchisti Zagónim púlyu v lob, Otrébʹyu chelovéchestva Skolótim krépkiy grob!	We shall drive a bullet into the forehead Of the rotten fascist filth, For the scum of humanity We shall build a solid coffin!
Припе́в ×2	Pripév ×2	Chorus ×2
Пусть я́рость благоро́дная Вскипа́ет, как волна́! Идёт война́ наро́дная, Свяще́нная война́!	Pustʹ yárostʹ blagoródnaya Vskipáyet, kak volná! Idyót voyná naródnaya, Svyashchénnaya voyná!	Let noble wrath Boil over like a wave! This is the people's war, a Sacred war!

Notes

↑ Russian: Священная война, tr. Svyashchennaya voyna, IPA: [svʲɪˈɕːenːəjə vɐjˈna]
↑ Russian: Вставай, страна огромная, tr. Vstaváy straná ogrómnaya!, IPA: [fstɐˈvaj strɐˈna ɐˈɡromnəjə]

References

↑ David R. Marples (2014). Russia in the Twentieth Century: The quest for stability. Routledge. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-317-86228-4.
↑ В. Олару. Стихотворение в газете Независимая Молдова, 21 июня 2001 ("Архив за 21.06.2001 - "Независимая Молдова"". Archived from the original on July 11, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link))
↑ Опровержение Независимая газета, 5 июля 2000; A. Barinov, Бард сталинской эпохи. 105 лет со дня рождения Василия Лебедева-Кумача, «АиФ Долгожитель» № 15 (27), 8 August 2003.
↑ Е. М. Левашев. Судьба песни // Архив наследия — 2000 / Сост. и науч. ред. Плужников В. И.; РАН. Российский Научно-исследовательский институт культурного и природного наследия им. Д. С. Лихачёва. — М.: Институт Наследия, 2001, 305–330. (online version).
↑ The Sacred War in Russian (Священная война), retrieved 2021-02-25
↑ The Sacred War in Finnish (Pyhä Sota), retrieved 2021-05-11
↑ The Sacred War in Hungarian (Fel küzdelemre hős haza), retrieved 2015-01-15
↑ The Sacred War in Estonian (Püha sõda), retrieved 2023-06-22
↑ The Sacred War in Latvian (Svētais karš), retrieved 2023-09-10
↑ The Sacred War in Chinese (神聖的戰爭), retrieved 2021-05-12
↑ The Sacred War in Korean (성스러운 전쟁), retrieved 2012-06-03
↑ The Sacred War in Japanese (聖なる戦い), retrieved 2022-06-25
↑ The Sacred War in Vietnamese (Cuộc Chiến tranh Thần thánh), retrieved 2023-05-09
↑ The Sacred War in Hindi (महान युद्ध), retrieved 2023-05-11
↑ The Sacred War in Punjabi (ਸਾਡੀ ਲੜਾਈ), retrieved 2023-07-27
↑ The Sacred War in German (Der Heilige Krieg), retrieved 2020-03-27
↑ The Sacred War in French (La Guerre Sacrée), retrieved 2021-05-10
↑ The Sacred War in English (The Sacred War), retrieved 2014-12-21
↑ The Sacred War in Ukrainian (Священна війна), retrieved 2021-05-14

External links

Song "The Sacred War" performed by the chorus of the People's Liberation Army of China
Lyrics and recording, 1942 recording (sovmusic.ru)
German lyrics by Hermlin (erinnerungsort.de)
The Sacred War by Russia Insight on YouTube link : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Il3FJMf4mSE

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Russian: Священная война, tr. Svyashchennaya voyna, IPA: [svʲɪˈɕːenːəjə vɐjˈna]

[2] Russian: Вставай, страна огромная, tr. Vstaváy straná ogrómnaya!, IPA: [fstɐˈvaj strɐˈna ɐˈɡromnəjə]

[3] David R. Marples (2014). Russia in the Twentieth Century: The quest for stability. Routledge. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-317-86228-4.

[4] В. Олару. Стихотворение в газете Независимая Молдова, 21 июня 2001 ("Архив за 21.06.2001 - "Независимая Молдова"". Archived from the original on July 11, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link))

[5] Опровержение Независимая газета, 5 июля 2000; A. Barinov, Бард сталинской эпохи. 105 лет со дня рождения Василия Лебедева-Кумача, «АиФ Долгожитель» № 15 (27), 8 August 2003.

[6] Е. М. Левашев. Судьба песни // Архив наследия — 2000 / Сост. и науч. ред. Плужников В. И.; РАН. Российский Научно-исследовательский институт культурного и природного наследия им. Д. С. Лихачёва. — М.: Институт Наследия, 2001, 305–330. (online version).

[7] The Sacred War in Russian (Священная война), retrieved 2021-02-25

[8] The Sacred War in Finnish (Pyhä Sota), retrieved 2021-05-11

[9] The Sacred War in Hungarian (Fel küzdelemre hős haza), retrieved 2015-01-15

[10] The Sacred War in Estonian (Püha sõda), retrieved 2023-06-22

[11] The Sacred War in Latvian (Svētais karš), retrieved 2023-09-10

[12] The Sacred War in Chinese (神聖的戰爭), retrieved 2021-05-12

[13] The Sacred War in Korean (성스러운 전쟁), retrieved 2012-06-03

[14] The Sacred War in Japanese (聖なる戦い), retrieved 2022-06-25

[15] The Sacred War in Vietnamese (Cuộc Chiến tranh Thần thánh), retrieved 2023-05-09

[16] The Sacred War in Hindi (महान युद्ध), retrieved 2023-05-11

[17] The Sacred War in Punjabi (ਸਾਡੀ ਲੜਾਈ), retrieved 2023-07-27

[18] The Sacred War in German (Der Heilige Krieg), retrieved 2020-03-27

[19] The Sacred War in French (La Guerre Sacrée), retrieved 2021-05-10

[20] The Sacred War in English (The Sacred War), retrieved 2014-12-21

[21] The Sacred War in Ukrainian (Священна війна), retrieved 2021-05-14

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