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" (Russian: Свяще́нная война́, tr. Svyashchénnaya voyná, IPA: [svʲɪˈɕːenːəjə vɐjˈna]), also known as "Arise, Great Country!" (Russian: Встава́й, страна́ огро́мная!, tr. Vstaváy straná ogrómnaya!, IPA: [fstɐˈvaj strɐˈna ɐˈɡromnəjə]) is one of the most famous Soviet songs of the Second World War. 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]

There are a number of foreign-language adaptations of this song, among them the German version Der Heilige Krieg (written by Stephan Hermlin), the Korean 정의의 싸움에 (Jeong-ui-ui Ssaum-e) and the Hungarian version Fel, küzdelemre, hős haza.

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 (Russian: Александр Адольфович Боде, 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]

The song has been used during the march of the color guard in Victory Day Parades in both the Soviet Union and Russia.

Lyrics[]

Original Russian lyrics	Latin transcription	Literal English translation	Poetic adaptation
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.	Arise, you mighty motherland, Arise for Sacred War To crush the evil fascist hordes, Unite and drive them back.
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!	And noble anger leads us To victory against the fascist scum! Arise, our mighty land, Arise for 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!	Let's crush the mad oppressors And save our mighty land, From rapists, thieves, and plunderers, These slaughterers of men!
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!	And noble anger leads us To victory against the fascist scum! Arise, our mighty land, Arise for 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!	The black fascist wings of death Shadowed our sacred land, But her spacious fields and streams They never shall defile!
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!	And noble anger leads us To victory against the fascist scum! Arise, our mighty land, Arise for 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!	Behold, fascist insanity You now face your doom, The plague of humanity Shall be driven to its tomb!
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!	And noble anger leads us To victory against the fascist scum! Arise, our mighty land, Arise for Sacred War!

Notes[]

^ 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 ("Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 11, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) 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).

External links[]

Song "The Sacred War" performed by the chorus of the People's Liberation Army of China [1]
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

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

[2] В. Олару. Стихотворение в газете Независимая Молдова, 21 июня 2001 ("Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 11, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link))

[3] 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.

[4] 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).

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