Katyusha – Soviet WWII song

асцветали яблони и груши,

Apple and pear trees were a-blooming,

Rastsvetali iabloni i grushi,

Поплыли туманы над рекой.

Mist (was) creeping on the river.

Poplyli tumany nad rekoj.

Выходила на берег Катюша,

Katyusha set out on the banks,

Vykhodila na bereg Katyusha,

На высокий берег на крутой.

On the steep and lofty bank.

Na vysokij bereg na krutoj.

Выходила, песню заводила

She was walking, singing a song

Vykhodila, pesniu zavodila

Про степного, сизого орла,

About a grey steppe eagle,

Pro stepnogo, sizogo orla,

Про того, которого любила,

About her true love,

Pro togo, kotorogo liubila,

Про того, чьи письма берегла.

Whose letters she was keeping.

Pro togo, chi pisma beregla.

 

Ой ты, песня, песенка девичья,

Oh you song! Little song of a maiden,

Oj ty, pesnia, pesenka devichia,

Ты лети за ясным солнцем вслед.

Head for the bright sun.

Ty leti za iasnym solntsem vsled.

И бойцу на дальнем пограничье

And reach for the soldier on the far-away border

I bojtsu na dalnem pograniche

От Катюши передай привет.

Along with greetings from Katyusha.

Ot Katyushi peredaj privet.

 

Пусть он вспомнит девушку простую,

Let him remember an ordinary girl,

Pust on vspomnit devushku prostuiu,

Пусть услышит, как она поет,

And hear how she sings,

Pust uslyshit, kak ona poet,

Пусть он землю бережет родную,

Let him preserve the Motherland,

Pust on zemliu berezhet rodnuiu,

А любовь Катюша сбережет.

Same as Katyusha preserves their love.

A recording of The Red Army Choir singing Katyusha

Katyusha is a Soviet wartime song about a girl longing for her beloved, who is away on military service. The music was composed in 1938 by Matvei Blanter and the lyrics were written by Mikhail Isakovsky. It was first performed by Valentina Batishcheva in the Column Hall of Moscow’s House of the Unions.