А. Ахматова - Мужество - текст песни, слова, перевод, видео

Part 5 of the series “Wind of War”

We know what's on the scales now

And what is happening now.

The hour of courage has struck on our watch,

And courage will not leave us.

It's not scary to lie dead under bullets,

It’s not bitter to be homeless, -

And we will save you, Russian speech,

Great Russian word.

We will carry you free and clean,

We will give it to our grandchildren and save us from captivity

Forever!

April 23, 1942

Tashkent

The February 1945 issue of Zvezda magazine published an article by S. Spassky “Letters on Poetry. First letter”: “You can learn the conciseness of poetry from Akhmatova. During the war years, Akhmatova published only a few short poems. But their impact is strong. In the difficult year of 1942, Akhmatova’s poem about courage was read. It is as clear as a Latin inscription. These are the words of the oath given by all Russian literature. Every writer will subscribe to them, and all those who love the Russian language. And language is the soul of the people.”

“The poem was written in the most difficult time for the entire people and for Akhmatova herself: the enemy was wedged 850 - 1200 km deep into Russia, Stalingrad was surrounded, the Germans were on the outskirts of Moscow, Leningrad was under siege, thousands of destroyed and surrendered cities and villages, tens of thousands killed and millions refugees. The poem speaks extremely sparingly and succinctly about the threat looming over the homeland:

We know what's on the scales now

And what is happening now.

It has already been said about the laconicism of Akhmatova’s poems and speeches during this period. But in the poem “Courage” the poetess achieved a special laconicism even for her, which is why each word of the poem has a huge semantic load.”

Researchers note the intonation of the oath and the prayerful brevity of the isolated ending: “Anna Akhmatova has the word “Forever!” replaces the word “Amen”, with the only exclamation mark in the entire poem"

The poem “Courage” combines motifs that permeate the entire cycle of war poems by Anna Andreevna, called “Wind of War” (1941-43).

The poems of A. Akhmatova during the war years were heard by the Russian emigration, who also managed to feel the true patriotism of the poetess. Here are the words of S.S. Obolensky from his “Letter to the Editor”, published in “People’s Truth” (Paris, 1949): “That “great Russian word”, the defense of which A. Akhmatova then called for in her patriotic poems, was not empty talk and deceitful official cliche, but was only the way it has always been understood by the entire true Russian tradition - both by the “right” Slavophiles and the “left” public: one creative expression of the people’s spirit.”