Mikhail Lermontov
Borodino

Tell, uncle, it was not a boon
By fire Moscow burnt so soon
Enjoyed by Frenchmen tall?
Fierce fights... or wasn't there any?
There were, great battles, there were many,
For reason Russians, kids and granny,
This glorious day recall!

Once was a folk that you could face 
So much unlike the present race
Top gun - you're not so good!
Bad fate they had on their shields
Just few made their way from fields
But for God's will, unless He dealed,
Old Moscow would have stood!

For long in silence we withdrew 
Annoyed, awaiting battles true,
Vets grumbling off their beds:
"For winter quarters who does care?
Do not our top commanders dare
To rip unwelcome strangers' wear
With Russian bayonets?"

And here was found a true big field:
To go wild, to move unsealed!
Redoubts were built and more.
Alerted we pricked up our ears!
Had scarcely morn dropped light on spears,
Wood dark-blue tops. Somebody nears...
A Frenchmen squad's next door.

A tight fill fits in (in the end),
It strikes me: 'Let us treat the friend!'
My dear sir, hold on!
Now no more tricks, standby to call,
We'll beat them like a wave, a wall,
Defending with the heart and soul
Our land from now and on!

Two days we fired back and forth.
Such misaffair, or even worse?
The third day was at hand.
All over following was heard:
"It is good time to reach case-shot!"
Soon over fields of battles hot
The night shade was to land.

I took a nap at a gun-house,
And I could hear till sunlight roused,
The Frenchmen nearby cheered.
But silent our camping was
One cleaned the carpet beaten, tossed,
One ground stabbers, grumbling, cross,
Displeased with his long beard.

Once did the sky shine with the light,
With noise all moved, first left, then right,
Lines, one by one, are fed,
Our colonel had a hot-shot skin:
He fathered soldiers, served the king,
We pity him: blade-struck when ringed,
In earth he found his bed.

He said to us with sparkling eyes:
"Aback is Moscow, is it, guys?
Let's die as brothers died,
Protecting it, our country's heart,
To die for it we promised but
We kept this oath, played deadly part
In Borodin's fierce fight!

It was a day! Through smoke all over
The Frenchmen cloud-like hang over,
And all at our redoubt.
The uhlans squad their brothers hailed
The dragoons riders all horse-tailed
Along us everybody trailed,
Were here all who could.

You'll hardly see this kind of battles!
When banners sail, the air rattles,
The smoke was mixed with flame,
The case-shot squealed, blades gave a sound,
Exhaust a pricking hand has bound.
And flesh-and-blood dead bodies mount
Disrupted gunners' game.

The enemy that day learnt much,
What means the Russian fight as such,
Our hand-to-hand bold fight!...
The ground shivered, breathing leaped,
The horses, men were mixed and heaped.
The lead of scores of cannons beeped,
Emerged in howling flight...

Twilight descended. All were ready
For dawn refight advancing steady
To last till death us mutes...
Here drums-performed march hits the ear,
But basurmans no longer near.
It was good time to make wounds clear,
To fallen give salutes.

Then was a folk that you could face,
The mighty, daring, hot-shot race:
Top gun - you're not so good!
Bad fate they had on their shields
Just few made their way from fields
But for God's will, unless He dealed,
Old Moscow would have stood!

Translated by Dmitry Bek-Lemeshev