"Through Valleys and Over Hills" (Russian: По долинам и по взгорьям) or "Through Forests and Over Hills" (По шумама и горама|Po šumama i gorama|italic=no), also known as the "Partisan's Song", is a popular Red Army song from the Russian Civil War.
wrote the latest version of the song after the 1922 Battle of Volochayevka.[1] It is sung to the melody of "Rozpryahayte, khloptsi, koni", a Ukrainian folk song.[2]
The song has many versions in other languages, including Serbo-Croatian, Greek, German, French, Hungarian, Hebrew, Kurdish, and as well as in many languages of the Soviet Union. The song was adapted by the Yugoslav Partisans and used in World War II.
Vladimir Gilyarovsky wrote the poem "From the Taiga, the Deep Taiga" in 1915 during World War I dedicated to the Siberian Riflemen, with text similar to the well-known version. Gilyarovsky's poem was published that year in several corpuses of Great War's soldiers' songs,[3] and in the post-Soviet era it became known as the March of the Siberian Riflemen.[4]
After the end of the Russian Civil War, the song was popular within the Soviet Union. Later, during World War II, it resurged in popularity among anti-fascist partisan fighters, most prominently among Yugoslav and Soviet partisans.
The song entered the official canon of Soviet songs when the director of the Red Army choir Aleksandr Aleksandrov, together with the poet, introduced the song into the choir repertoire. The words of the song were attributed to Alymov. The author of the melody was named as Ilya Aturov, commander of a Red Army unit, from whom Aleksandrov heard the melody of the song. The Red Army choir rendition was distributed on phonograph records. In 1934, a letter from veterans of the Russian Civil War in the Far East was published in the Izvestia central newspaper, naming as the original author. Later that year, Parfyonov recalled the story of the creation of the song in the Krasnoarmeyets–Krasnoflotets magazine. In this article, Parfyonov wrote that he borrowed the melody from his earlier 1914 song Na Suchane, and penned the verses to Po dolinam i po vzgoriam after the Red takeover of Vladivostok in early 1920. However, he was arrested in 1935 and executed in 1937 as part of the Great Purge.[5] The song continued to be published attributed to Alymov and Aturov until the Supreme Court of the Russian SFSR confirmed Parfyonov's authorship in 1962.[6] [7]
Decades after the end of the Russian Civil War, White émigré accounts were published that included the lyrics to a White variation of the song, the March of the Drozdovites, claimed to have been written by White colonel Pyotr Batorin in commemoration of the Jassy-Don March. These accounts claimed that the composer Dmitry Pokrass was ordered to write the tune of the march by Colonel Anton Turkul during the White occupation of Kharkov in 1919.[8]
The song is commonly played by the Alexandrov Ensemble. In the Middle East, the Russian song also got Hebrew texts written by the poets Avraham Shlonsky - Halokh halkha hevraya - a translation after Alexander Blok, which in several mobilizing versions served the Zionist Socialist Hashomer Hatzair movement and the Palestinian Communist Youth (now BANKI) movement in the Mandatory Palestine and then in Israel - and Didi Menosi - Mul gesher hanahar - which is known in the interpretation by the Israeli Gevatron ensemble. The music was used also as the first melody for the anthem of Palmakh Jewish shock units in Palestine.[9] In the 1960s, French anarchist Étienne Roda-Gil penned a version dedicated to the Makhnovshchina.[10]
| Russian original | Romanization | Literal translation | |
|---|---|---|---|
Наливалися знаменаКумачом последних ран,Шли лихие эскадроныПриамурских партизан. Этих лет не смолкнет слава,Не померкнет никогда —Партизанские отрядыЗанимали города. И останутся, как в сказках,Как манящие огниШтурмовые ночи Спасска,Волочаевские дни. Разгромили атаманов,Разогнали воеводИ на Тихом океанеСвой закончили поход. | Nalivalisja znamenaKumačom poslednih ran,Šli lihije eskadronyPriamurskih partizan. Etih let ne smolknet slava,Ne pomerknet nikogda —Partizanskije otrjadyZanimali goroda. I ostanutsja, kak v skazkah,Kak manjaščije ogni,Šturmovyje noči Spasska,Voločajevskije dni. Razgromili atamanov,Razognali vojevod,I na Tihom okeaneSvoj zakončili pohod. | The banners fellIn the bunting of the last woundsWent dashing divisionsOf the partisans of Amur. The glory of those years will never fade,No, they shall never fade —As the partisan troopsCaptured the cities. They will remain legends,Like alluring lightsThrough the storming nights of Spasskand the days of Volochaevka. [We] defeated the atamans,The voevodes were dispersedAnd on the Pacific OceanWe ended our campaign. |
| French original | English translation | |
|---|---|---|
Par les monts et par les plainesdans la neige et dans le ventà travers toute l'Ukrainese levaient nos partisans. Au Printemps les traités de LénineOnt livré l'Ukraine aux AllemandsÀ l'automne la MakhnovchtchinaLes avait jetés au vent. L'armée blanche de Denikineest entrée en Ukraine en chantantmais bientôt la Makhnovchtchinal'a dispersée dans le vent. Makhnovchtchina, MakhnovchtchinaArmée noire de nos partisansQui combattait en Ukrainecontre les rouges et les blancs. Makhnovchtchina, MakhnovchtchinaArmée noire de nos partisansqui voulait chasser d'Ukraineà jamais tous les tyrans. | Through the mountains and through the plainsin the snow and in the windall over Ukraineour supporters rose. In the Spring Lenin's TreatisesDelivered Ukraine to the GermansIn the fall the MakhnovshchinaTossed them to the wind. Denikin's White Armyentered Ukraine singingbut soon the Makhnovshchinascattered it in the wind. Makhnovshchina, MakhnovshchinaBlack army of our partisansWho was fighting in Ukraineagainst the Reds and Whites. Makhnovshchina, MakhnovshchinaBlack army of our partisanswho wanted to drive out of Ukraineforever all tyrants. |
| Serbo-Croatian (Latin / Cyrillic)[11] | English translation | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mi smo djeca vjerna rodui ko jedan spremni svida u borbi za sloboduumiremo svjesno mi | Neka čuje dušman kletikrvavi se vodi rat,Prije ćemo mi umrijetiNego svoje zemlje dat'! Kaznićemo izdajice,Oslobodit' narod svoj,Kazaćemo cijelom svijetuDa se bije ljuti boj | Crne horde nas ne plaše,Krv herojska u nas vri,Mi ne damo zemlje našeDa je gaze fašisti! Zgazit ćemo izdajice,i prihvatit' ljuti boj,spasit' kuće, oranice,oslobodit' narod svoj. | Ми смо дјеца вјерна родуи ко један спремни свида у борби за слободуумиремо свјесно ми | Нека чује душман клетикрвави се води рат,Прије ћемо ми умријетиНего своје земље дат'! Казнићемо издајице,Ослободит' народ свој,Казаћемо цијелом свијетуДа се бије љути бој | Црне хорде нас не плаше,Крв херојска у нас ври,Ми не дамо земље нашеДа је газе фашисти! Згазит ћемо издајицеи прихватит' љути бој,спасит' куће, оранице,ослободит' народ свој. | We are children loyal to our familyand all of us are as one ready,that in the fight for freedomwe die consciously | Let the cursed foe knowA bloody war is wagedWe will rather dieThan give our land! We will punish the traitorsAnd free all our people,We will tell the entire worldThat a bitter fight is fought | Black hordes don’t scare usHeroic blood boils in our veinsWe don’t allow our landsTo be trampled by fascists! We will trample down the traitorsand accept the furious battle,save houses, arable land,liberate our people. | |
Basil Davidson recites alternative lyrics as he heard them from Yugoslav Partisans in his 1946 book Partisan Picture:[12]
| Serbo-Croatian (Latin / Cyrillic) | English translation | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Puška mi je drugarica,Mitraljez mi moji brat:Svakog časa odjim na straži,Da tiranu skršim vrat. Narodu sam zavjet dao,Ja, narodni partizan:Da ću čuvat' stijeg slobode,Boriti se noć i dan. | Пушка ми је другарица,Митраљез ми моји брат:Сваког часа одјим на стражи,Да тирану скршим врат. Народу сам завјет дао,Ја, народни партизан:Да ћу чуват' стијег слободе,Борити се ноћ и дан. | The rifle is my friend,Machine gun my brother:Every hour I am on guard,To break the tyrant's neck. I made a vow to the people,I, the people's partisan:That I will guard the flag of freedom,Fight night and day. | |
| Greek | Transliteration | English translation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Από κάμπους και λαγκάδιακατεβαίνει η αγροτιά,μ'υψωμένα τα δρεπάνιαχαιρετάει την εργατιά. Χρόνια τώρα εμείς σκυμμένοισκάβουμε τη μαύρη Γηςκαι τα πλούτη μας τα παίρνουνοι τυράννοι οι αστοί. Ό,τι βλέπουμε μπροστά μαςαπ'τα χρόνια τα παλιά,στη δουλειά μας τα χρωστάμε,ζήτω-ζήτω η εργατιά! Ας ξεχάσουμε τα μίσηολα εκείνα τα παλιά,κι ας υψώσουμε τα ξίφηόλοι για τη λευτεριά. | Apó cámbous kai langádiaKatevaínei i agrotiá,M'ypsoména ta drapániaChairetáei tin ergatiá. Chrónia tóra emeís skymménoiScávoume ti maúri GisKai ta ploúti mas ta paírnounoi tyránnoi oi astoí. Ó, ti vlépoume brostá masap'ta chrónia ta paliá,sti douleiá mas ta chrostáme,zíto-zíto i ergatiá! As xechásoume ta mísióla ekeína ta paliá,ki as ypsósoume ta xíphióloi gia ti leuteriá. | From plains and ravinescomes down the peasant class,with sickles raised upthey greet the working class. For years now we have boweddigging the black Earthand our riches are takenby the tyrrants the bourgeois. Everything we see in front of usfrom the old years,we owe it to our labourlong live-long live the working class! Let us forget our grudgesall these grudges of old,and let's raise our swordsall of us for liberty |
| Hebrew original | Romanization | English translation | |
|---|---|---|---|
את פניו הקפיא רוח הנהר,אך ליבו עדיין בועראלף נערות הכיר הוא.ואחת יפה יותראלף נערות הכיר הוא.ואחת יפה יותר השדה שמעבר לנהר,ערירי כאילו אשםאלף מצבות עומדות שם.ואחת מהן בלי שםאלף מצבות עומדות שם.ואחת מהן בלי שם האביב ממיס קרח בנהר,ובשלל צבעיו מרתקאלף ילדים שרים לו.וילדון אחד שותקאלף ילדים שרים לו.וילדון אחד שותק הם עומדים אל מול גשר הנהרשעליו אי פעם צעדגדוד של אלף פרטיזנים.ואחד יקר לעדגדוד של אלף פרטיזניםואחד יקר לעד | et panav hikpi ruach haNaharakh libo adayin bo'erelef na'arot hikir huve'achat yaffa yoterelef nearot hikir huve'achat yaffa yoter hasadeh she me'ever haNaharariri ke'illu ashemelef matzevot omdot shamve'achat mehen bli shemelef matzevot omdot shamve'achat mehen bli shem ha'Aviv memis kerach baNaharuBishlal tzva'av meratekelef yeladim sharim loveYaldon echad shotekelef yeladim sharim loveYaldon echad shotek Hem omdim el mul gesher haNaharshe elav ei pa'am tza'adgdud shel elef partizanimve echad yakar la'adgdud shel elef partizanimve echad yakar la'ad | His face froze in the river windBut his heart is still burning,A thousand girls he knewAnd one more beautiful.A thousand girls he knewAnd one more beautiful. The field across the riverBarren as if guilty,A thousand tombstones stand thereAnd one of them without a nameA thousand tombstones stand thereAnd one of them without a name Spring melting of ice in the riverAnd a variety of fascinating colours,A thousand children sing itAnd one little boy is silent.A thousand children sing itAnd one little boy is silent. They stand in front of the river bridgeOn which a battalion of a thousand partisansA battalion of a thousand partisansAnd one precious forever.A battalion of a thousand partisansAnd one precious forever. |