Nikolay Rubtsov's 1960 poem on love for Russia and his native home

Hello, Russia, my homeland!
How joyful it is for me beneath your foliage!
There is no singing, yet I clearly hear
The choral singing of unseen singers…
As though a wind had driven me across it,
Across the whole land, through villages and capitals!
I was strong, but the wind was stronger,
And I could not stop anywhere.
Hello, Russia, my homeland!
Stronger than storms, stronger than any will
Is the love for your threshing barns by the stubble,
The love for you, cottage in the azure field.
For all the grand mansions I would not give up
My low house with the nettles under the little window.
How peacefully into my room
The sun used to roll down at evening!
How all the expanse, heavenly and earthly,
Breathed happiness and peace through the little window,
And wafted with glorious antiquity,
And rejoiced beneath downpours and heat!..

Literal translation

Nikolay Rubtsov, 1960

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Nikolay Rubtsov's 1960 poem on love for Russia and his native home

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

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