Красное знамя is a song with a long history; the first version of the song, entitled Le Drapeau Rouge, was written in 1871 in the Paris Commune by Paul-Marie Brousseau. A second version with altered lyrics was translated from French into Polish, and then from Polish into Russian in 1897. The version played here was written in 1900 by an unknown translator using the same melody as the earlier versions. While the song was very popular in the Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917, it gradually faded from memory thereafter in the Soviet Union. Other versions survive in Czech, Polish, German, French, and a multitude of other languages.
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Complete lyrics (parts not sung in brackets):
Слезами залит мир безбрежный,
Вся наша жизнь - тяжёлый труд,
Но день настанет неизбежный.
Неумолимо грозный суд!
Лейся вдаль, наш напев, мчись кругом!
Над миром наше знамя реет
И несёт клич борьбы, мести гром,
Семя грядущего сеет.
Оно горит и ярко рдеет—
То наша кровь горит огнём,
То кровь работников на нём!
[Пусть слуги тьмы хотят насильно
Связать разорванную сеть -
Слепое зло падёт бессильно,
Добро не может умереть!
Бездушный мир, тупой, холодный,
Готов погибнуть, наконец,
Нам счастьем будет труд свободный,
И братство даст ему венец!]
Смелей, друзья! Идём все вместе,
Рука с рукой и мысль одна.
Кто скажет буре: стой на месте!
Чья власть на свете так сильна?
Долой тиранов! Прочь оковы!
Не нужно гнёта рабских пут.
Мы путь земле укажем новый,
Владыкой мира будет труд!
English translation:
Boundless tears have watered the world;
All our lives have been hard work,
But the inescapable day will come.
Implacable is the terrible judgement!
Flow far, our song, return around!
Above the world our banner flutters
And bears the cry of battle, the thunder of vengeance,
Sowing the seed of the future.
It burns and brightly reddens—
That is our blood burning in flames;
That is the workers' blood upon it!
[Let the servants of darkness wish to forcefully
Tie together a broken net;
Blind evil will fall powerless;
Good cannot die!
The soulless world, dull, cold,
Is prepared to die at last.
For us labour will happily be free,
And brotherhood will give it its crown!]
Bravely, friends! Go all together,
Arm in arm and thought as one!
Who can tell the storm: stand in place?
What power in the world is so mighty?
Down with tyrants! Away with shackles!
Needless is the oppression of the path of slavery.
We reveal a new path for the earth:
The master of the world will be labour!
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I release this translation, video, etc. into the public domain. The song itself and the original text are already in the public domain.
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