"Through Valleys and Over Hills" (Russian: По долинам и по взгорьям) or "Through Forests and Over Hills" (Serbo-Croatian: По шумама и горама / Po šumama i gorama), also known as the "Partisan's Song", is a popular Red Army song from the Russian Civil War.
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.[3] Gilyarovsky's poem was published that year in several corpuses of Great War's soldiers' songs,[4] and in the post-Soviet era it became known as the March of the Siberian Riflemen.[5]
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 choirAleksandr Aleksandrov, together with the poet Sergei Alymov, 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 Pyotr Parfyonov as the original author. Later that year, Parfyonov recalled the story of the creation of the song in the Krasnoarmeyets–Krasnoflotets (lit.'Red Army man and Red Fleet man') magazine. In this article, Parfyonov wrote that he borrowed the melody from his earlier 1914 song Na Suchane (lit.'On the Suchan'), 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.[6] 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.[7][3]
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]
Makhnovchtchina, Makhnovchtchina Tes drapeaux sont noirs dans le vent ils sont noirs de notre peine ils sont rouges de notre sang.
Par les monts et par les plaines dans la neige et dans le vent à travers toute l'Ukraine se levaient nos partisans.
Au Printemps les traités de Lénine Ont livré l'Ukraine aux Allemands À l'automne la Makhnovchtchina Les avait jetés au vent.
L'armée blanche de Denikine est entrée en Ukraine en chantant mais bientôt la Makhnovchtchina l'a dispersée dans le vent.
Makhnovchtchina, Makhnovchtchina Armée noire de nos partisans Qui combattait en Ukraine contre les rouges et les blancs.
Makhnovchtchina, Makhnovchtchina Armée noire de nos partisans qui voulait chasser d'Ukraine à jamais tous les tyrans.
Makhnovshchina, Makhnovshchina Your flags are black in the wind they are black with our pain they are red with our blood.
Through the mountains and through the plains in the snow and in the wind all over Ukraine our supporters rose.
In the Spring Lenin's Treatises Delivered Ukraine to the Germans In the fall the Makhnovshchina Tossed them to the wind.
Denikin's White Army entered Ukraine singing but soon the Makhnovshchina scattered it in the wind.
Makhnovshchina, Makhnovshchina Black army of our partisans Who was fighting in Ukraine against the Reds and Whites.
Makhnovshchina, Makhnovshchina Black army of our partisans who wanted to drive out of Ukraine forever all tyrants.
"Through Forests and Over Hills"
Memorial plaque to Zora and her brother Mirko Kovačević, the author of this version of the song, who later died as one of the most experienced 1st Split Partisan Detachment members; Obilićevo, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina (their hometown)
Hem omdim el mul gesher haNahar she elav ei pa'am tza'ad gdud shel elef partizanim ve echad yakar la'ad gdud shel elef partizanim ve echad yakar la'ad
She stood in front of the river bridge, Which he stepped on yesterday A battalion of a thousand partisans And one most precious of all. A battalion of a thousand partisans And one most precious of all.
His face froze in the river wind But his heart is still burning, A thousand girls he knew And one more beautiful. A thousand girls he knew And one more beautiful.
The field across the river Barren as if guilty, A thousand tombstones stand there And one of them without a name A thousand tombstones stand there And one of them without a name
Spring melting of ice in the river And a variety of fascinating colours, A thousand children sing it And one little boy is silent. A thousand children sing it And one little boy is silent.
They stand in front of the river bridge On which a battalion of a thousand partisans A battalion of a thousand partisans And one precious forever. A battalion of a thousand partisans And one precious forever.
Por llanuras y montañas Guerrilleros libres van Los mejores luchadores Del campo y de la ciudad Los mejores luchadores Del campo y de la ciudad
Ni el dolor ni la miseria Nos impedirán vencer Seguiremos adelante Sin jamás retroceder Seguiremos adelante Sin jamás retroceder
Las banderas de combate Como mantos cubrirán A los bravos guerrilleros Que en la lucha caerán A las bravas guerrilleras Muertas por la libertad
Que el futuro no se olvide De cual fue nuestra misión Acabar con el fascismo Que en España se instauró Acabar con el fascismo Que en España se instauró
Through plains and mountains Guerrillas roam free The best fighters From the countryside and the city The best fighters From the countryside and the city.
Neither pain nor misery Will stop us from winning We will keep moving forward Without ever stepping back we will keep moving forward Without ever stepping back
The battle flags Will cover like cloaks The brave guerrilla fighters That will fall in the struggle The brave guerrilla fighters Dead for the freedom
May the future not not forget What our mission was To end the fascism That was established in Spain To end the fascism That was established in Spain
Por los valles y los Andes guerrilleros libres van los mejores luchadores del campo y la ciudad los mejores luchadores del campo y la ciudad
Ni el dolor ni la miseria los harán desfallecer seguiremos adelante sin jamás retroceder seguiremos adelante sin jamás retroceder
Nuestro pueblo nos ordena combatir hasta triunfar adelante camaradas nuestra consigna es vencer adelante camaradas nuestra consigna es vencer
Venceremos al fascismo en la batalla final ¡Abajo el imperialismo! ¡Muera! ¡Viva nuestra libertad! ¡Abajo el imperialismo! ¡Muera! ¡Viva nuestra libertad!
Las banderas de combate como mantos cubrirán a los bravos guerrilleros que en la lucha caerán a los bravos guerrilleros que en la lucha caerán
Through valleys and the Andes Guerrillas roam free The best fighters From the countryside and the city The best fighters From the countryside and the city.
Neither pain nor misery Will stop us from winning We will keep moving forward Without ever stepping back we will keep moving forward Without ever stepping back
Our people command us Combat until the triumph Go forward comrade Our slogan is win
We will win the fascism In the final battle Death to the imperialism! Death! Long live our liberty! Death to the imperialism! Death! Long live our liberty!
The battle flags Will cover like cloaks The brave guerrilla fighters That will fall in the struggle The brave guerrilla fighters That will fall in the struggle
^Strophes marked in italics were also sung during World War II, but usually do not appear in orchestral versions recorded later. The latter italic strophe (sixth from the top) was typically replaced by the fourth strophe instead.
^Alternatively in Serbo-Croatian: Neka znade / Нека знаде, lit. 'Let [them] know'
^Alternatively in Serbo-Croatian: da će kod nas slomit' vrat / да ће код нас сломит' врат, lit. 'That they will have their necks broken here'
^Vyzgo-Ivanova, I. M. (1987). Межнациональные связи в советской музыкальной культуре: сборник статей [International relations in Soviet musical culture: a collection of articles] (in Russian). Leningrad: Russian Conservatory. p. 49.
^ abMuravlyov, Anatoly (December 2007). "Судьба автора популярной песни" [The fate of the author of a popular song]. Sibirskiye Ogni (in Russian) (12).
