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JOHN WOODSWORTH . Sample original poetry: Proposal for a new
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Novyj gimn Rossijskoj Federatsii
(predlozhenie)
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The following proposal for a new Russian National Anthem, written 8 November 2000 by JW, was submitted to the Russian Embassy in Canada, which forwarded it in turn to the contest for anthem proposals taking place at the time in Russia. The contest was eventually won by acclaimed Russian children's author and poet Sergej Vladimirovich Mikhalkov (1913-), father of the celebrated actor Nikita Mikhalkov. For the text of Mikhalkov's winning entry please click here. In both JW's and Mikhalkov's versions, the first stanza and the refrain offer present praise to great Russia, the second takes account of its vast geography, while the third points to its past and ahead to the future. Similarities notwithstanding, it should be noted that JW did not see Mikhalkov's proposal until after the contest closed and the final selection was announced. JW's proposed wording is published in the current issue (No 6, 2001) of the journal Kanadskij ezhegodnik [Canadian Yearbook], issued by the Russian Association for Canadian Studies [Rossijskaja Assotsiatisja dlja izuchenija Kanady]. The words, like those by Mikhalkov, were designed to be sung to the much-loved tune of the old Soviet national anthem composed by Aleksandr Vasil'evich Aleksandrov (1883-1946).
The proposed wording was also included in the collection [Sbornik] prepared for Ljudmila Putina (the Russian president's wife), along with an afterword [posleslovie] -- -- also reproduced below in both its original form and an English translation -- outlining the author's motivation underlying his proposal, his structuring of the anthem, choice of words etc. (see my Poetry page for 'Sbornik' contents). The whole 'Sbornik' actually bore the title: Russkaja dusha v kanadskom tele [A Russian soul in a Canadian body].
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PLEASE NOTE: The Russian texts on this page are shown in image representation only. Unfortunately, they do not have the properties of electronic text. . |
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English translation follows
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New Anthem of the Russian Federation (proposal submitted by John Woodsworth, November 2000) Prose translation from the Russian by JW
Russia, a nation of noble peoples, |
'Afterword' [Posleslovie] toJW's proposal for a new Russian national anthem
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English translation follows
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(prose translation by JW) Upon hearing that one of the major world states was currently seeking new words for the melody of its former anthem, I made so bold as to take on the challenge, despite the fact that as far as the residents of that great country were concerned, I am obviously a complete stranger. Nevertheless, I have been told on an number of occasions that within my 'Canadian body' burns a live Russian soul. I hope that some people, at least, will find in this a justification for my boldness. Right at the start of the anthem I wanted to give the non-Russian peoples of the Russian Federation the feeling that they too are included in this country as equal partners with the Russians; hence the identification: "a nation of noble peoples". Realising that the words of the former (Soviet) anthem are even today dear to many Russian citizens, I have endeavoured to preserve, at least in the first and the third stanzas, the spirit and the power of these words; they are, in fact, reflected in the new variant I have worked out -- for example, in the first line of the refrain: Slavsja, Otechestvo... [Be praised, (our) Fatherland...]; note also the preservation of the rhyme: svobodna/narodov, Rus'/sojuz (only in reverse order); in the third verse the word pokolenij [generations] is also preserved, only here rhyming with lishenij [deprivation] instead of srazhenij [battles]. At the same time I decided to play down the evident militarism of the old anthem in favour of a spirit of peace, along with a sense of the richness of the Russian landscape and its overwhelming beauty. The description of nature and the naming of well-known geographical features ("From St-Petersburg to far-off Chukotka...") are intended to give Russians a sense of close self-identification with their country. Finally, I wanted to hint at the divine basis of any noble sentiment,
including the sense of national belonging, or patriotism, but without naming
any official religious body. Hence the word svjataja [holy]
(which, I trust, will not violate the rights of adherents of any religious
or philosophical tendency) in the contexts: "Holy before God, you are forever
free" and "Our holy native land".
John Woodsworth
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Special note: The Russian fonts used in the photo images on this page were designed by JW in the late 1980s, using the font editor "FonTastic" on an old 512K Macintosh computer. .. |
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"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you... Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." -- John
14:27
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E-mail : <jw[at ]kanadacha.ca>
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