“Falcons, soar up like eagles!“ — English subs and translation

Russian Empire, circa 1835 Donate & Support: An old Russian soldiers’ folk song, it had possibly appeared already during the Patriotic War of 1812. It is reliably known that it was first performed in 1835 at maneuvers in the Kalisz camp, and it was played in the “Caucasian manner“, so that’s why many researchers associate the origin of the song with the Caucasian War of 1817-1864. Young inexperienced soldiers, who are participating in camp maneuvers for the first time, are called “Falcons“ in the song, and they yet have to become experienced “Eagles“, the mature soldiers. The song remained very popular in the army until 1917, but even in Soviet times it was sung in a modified form (and, of course, without stanzas about the Russian Czar and the Orthodox faith). In this video, the song is performed by the Irkutsk Folk Drama Theater. Portrayed by Private Jekimenko, a soldier of the Life-Guards Semyonovsky Regiment, who was depicted in 1832 by the famous Russian painter Jevgraf Rejtern (Gerhardt von Reutern). LYRICS: Взвейтесь, соколы, орлами! Полно горе горевать. То ли дѣло – подъ шатрами Въ полѣ лагеремъ стоять. Лагерь – городъ полотняный, Моремъ улицы шумятъ, Позолотою румяной Мѣдны маковки горятъ. Тамъ, едва заря настанетъ, Строй пѣхотный зашумитъ, Барабаномъ въ небо грянетъ И штыками заблеститъ. Закипитъ тогда войною Богатырская игра, Строй на строй пойдётъ стѣною И прокатится «Ура!..» Слава матушкѣ-Россіи, Слава русскому царю, Слава вѣрѣ православной, И солдату-молодцу!