Ermak, Ермак

    Ermak was a Russian Cossack who played a significant role in the accession of Siberia.  His historical image among the Russian people is one of the brave and strong warrior and a patriot. There are several Russian folk and author's songs devoted to him, ancient and modern. The most popular of them is that on the text of the Russian poet Kondratiy Ryleev (1795-1826). ​The song is much more  shorter than Ryleev`s poem, however, keeps his selected lines untouched. Ryleev was a talented Russian poet who wrote much about the history of Russia, he named such verses "Ду́мы" (Thoughts). 

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    Ryleev was executed in the age of 30 for his participation in the rebellion against the Russian monarchy, the so-called Decembrists uprising.  He used to be an army officer, then married and resigned. As a well-educated, a talented and a hot-hearted person, he engaged in the capital`s literature activities. That brought him to enter the political society, preparing a coup d'etat for the humanistic reasons, as the members thought: first of all, the abolition of serfdom and of monarchy. The rebellion failed and the participants suffered punishments. 5 of them were sentenced to death and executed: Ryleev was in that number. 

Ermak

 The song on Ryleev`s verse of 1821 describes the events that preceded the Ermak`s death in combat. His small troop is having the night rest. Ermak does not sleep, he is thinking. The storm foreshadows the soon catastrophe. The next verses are usually not included in the song for making it not too long and sad. The Cossacks are suddenly attacked from the darkness by the superior number of the enemy warriors and Ermak perishes in the battle. He tries to swim over Irtysh, but sinks because of the heavy armour, the gift of the tsar Ivan the Terrible.
​     That was the troop of the Siberian ruler, khan Kuchum, that attacked Ermak. Kuchum payed tribute as a vassal of Moscow. Nevertheless, his people often robbed the Russian settlers, and Stroganovs, the Russian merchants and industries owners, asked Ivan the Terrible for protection. The tsar sent the Cossacks under Ermak for that  purpose. To that time Ermak was an experienced warrior who took glorious part in the wars against Sweden and Poland. 
​Ermak gained several victories and pushed khan Kuchum out of his capital. Ermak did much more than he was assigned for by the authorities. He made a lot for the accession of Siberia. Finally his troops became not numerous, he waited for support, but the support came too late. After several years the new Russian troops restored the positions reached by Ermak. 

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   The music of the song "Ermak" is of the folk origin. 
​ The song is easy for an amateur performing and belongs to the "drinking songs", sung by ordinary people at their homes by festive occasions.

  Fragments of the song were used in the Russian films "Chapaev" (1934), "Legend Of The Siberian Land" (1947), "Outskirts" (1998).  
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​The earliest of the known recordings belongs to the singer I. Bobrov. Among the performers of the song are: Feodor Shaliapin, Leonid Kharitonov , Yury Gulyaev , Eugeny Dyatlov , Alexander Gami , Pyatnitsky Choir , The Folk Choir of the Gnessins Academy .

Pyatnitsky Choir performs the song

The score for accordion

Russian text

Ревела буря, дождь шумел,
Во мраке молнии блистали,
И беспрерывно гром гремел,
И ветры в дебрях бушевали…

Ко славе страстию дыша,
В стране суровой и угрюмой,
На диком бреге Иртыша
Сидел Ермак, объятый думой.

Товарищи его трудов,
Побед и громкозвучной славы
Среди раскинутых шатров
Беспечно спали средь дубравы.

«О, спите, спите» - мнил Герой,
«Друзья под бурею ревущей;
С рассветом глас раздастся мой,
На славу иль на смерть зовущий!»

Ревела буря, дождь шумел,
Во мраке молнии блистали,
И беспрерывно гром гремел,
И ветры в дебрях бушевали…

Transliteration

Revela burya dozhd shumel,
Vo mrake molnii blistali,
I bespreryvno grom gremel,
I vetry v debryah bushevali...

Ko slave strastiyu dysha,
V strane surovoj i ugryumoj,
Na dikom brege Irtysha
Sidel Ermak obyatyj dumoj.

Tovarishchi ego trudov,
Pobed i gromkozvuchnoj slavy
Sredi raskinutyh shatrov
Bespechno spali sred dubravy.

"O, spite, spite" - mnil Geroj,
"Druzya pod bureyu revushchej;
S rassvetom glas razdastsya moj,
Na slavu il na smert zovushchij!"

Revela burya dozhd shumel,
Vo mrake molnii blistali,
I bespreryvno grom gremel,
I vetry v debryah bushevali...

English text

The storm was roaring: strong it rained,
The lightnings flashed high in the darkness,
The thunder, like a trouble proclaimed,  
Sounded in the windy vastness...

Anticipating his advance,  
In the unkind and sullen country,
​On the Irtysh bank, in the glance, 
Ermak was sitting, thinking hardly.

His faithful friends in war and piece,
in victories, in works and glory,  
Slept calmly in the tents at ease,
Among the trees and did not worry.

"Oh, sleep You well!" - the hero thought,
"My friends, although the storm roars;
At dawn my voice will be heard, 
To call to death or glory for us!"

The storm was roaring: strong it rained,
The lightnings flashed high in the darkness,
The thunder, like a trouble proclaimed,  
Sounded in the windy vastness...

Translation by Alexander 

 Sources:
http://a-pesni.org/popular20/ermak.htm ; http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/4549244/post232159508 ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ревела_буря_(песня) ; http://diletant.media/articles/27234753/ ; 
http://fb.ru/article/227846/kratkoe-soderjanie-i-analiz-smert-ermaka-ryileev ; 
http://u9086.mass.hc.ru/Литература_8_кл_Часть_1_Коровина/24.html ; 
https://www.pravda.ru/culture/culturalhistory/seminarssymposia/31-07-2008/277706-ermak-0/ ; 
http://wp.wiki-wiki.ru/wp/index.php/Ермак_Тимофеевич ;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bAyL0kS08Q​ ; http://lit-classic.ru/biography.php?author=11

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