"My Moscow", also known as "My Dear Capital", is the municipal anthem of the Russian capital of Moscow, officially adopted in 1995. The music was composed in 1941 by Isaak Dunayevsky and the lyrics were written by Sergey Agranyan and Mark Lisyansky. Singer Zoya Rozhdestvenskaya was the first person to perform this song.

The original lyrics had four verses, of which the last pertained to Joseph Stalin. They were replaced by the current lyrics which were introduced during the Leonid Brezhnev era.

History In November 1941, during the Great Patriotic War, Junior Lieutenant and former journalist Mark Lisyansky was returning from a hospital in Yaroslavl to fight on the Kalinin Front. He later participated in the Battle of Moscow.Мухтаров Е. Песни нашей Победы // 4 года из 1000: 65-летию Победы посвящается: [ярославцы в Великой Отечественной войне: альманах] / Авт. вступ. ст. проф. Ю. Ю. Иерусалимский; Авт. колл.: А. Е. Власов; А. В. Кононец, Е. О. Мухтаров, С. В. Рябинин, Д. Е. Озерова. — Ярославль: Ярновости, 2010. — С. 23—76. — 272 с. — ISBN 978-5-88697-190-3.

Worried about the fate of Moscow, Lisyansky wrote a poem in a notebook he titled "My Moscow (My Dear Capital)". After stopping on Pushkin Square, Lisyansky then sent his work to the literary journal Novy Mir. The poem was originally set to be published in the December 1941 issue of the magazine; however, due to the editorial office moving to Kuybyshev, it got pushed back to February 1942. The text then consisted of two verses, but later two more verses were added with the help of Sergey Agranyan.

Lyrics Current official Russian originalТекст гимна города Москвы. Mos.ru.Текст гимна города Москвы. Kollege24.mskobr.ru.Russian Latin alphabetEnglish translationAplenty around the world I've wandered In caves, trenches, and taigas I've dwelled. Alive twice in my life I was buried, Farewell I've bled, loved and grieved. But with the pride of Moscow I've acquainted, And far and wide these words I echoed: You are my dear capital, You are my golden Moscow!

The copses near Moscow I adore, And the bridges above your river, I venerate your Red Square, And the Kremlin chimes I honour. In the towns and villages from afar, Shall be talks about you forever. You are my dear capital, You are my golden Moscow!

We shall remember that harsh fall, Tank frays and bayonet glints we'll recall, And your twenty-eight sons all so brave Shall all for centuries live. And never shall the enemy succeed In bending down your head. You are my dear capital, You are my golden Moscow!

Original version Russian originalRussian Latin alphabetEnglish translationAplenty around the world I've wandered In caves, trenches, and taigas I've dwelled. Alive twice in my life I was buried, Farewell I've bled, loved and grieved. But with the pride of Moscow I've acquainted, And far and wide these words I echoed: You are my dear capital, You are my golden Moscow!

The copses near Moscow I adore, And the bridges above your river, I venerate your Red Square, And the Kremlin chimes I honour. In the towns and villages from afar, Shall be talks about you forever. You are my dear capital, You are my golden Moscow!

We shall remember that harsh fall, Tank frays and bayonet glints we'll recall, And your twenty-eight sons all so brave Shall all for centuries live. And never shall the enemy succeed In bending down your head. You are my dear capital, You are my golden Moscow!

O'er Moscow's banner of glory, People celebrate victory. Hail the city of this great sovereignty Where our dear Stalin lives on! We shall be proud of you for eternity, Thy glory through centuries shall live on! You are my dear capital, You are my golden Moscow!

Notes

References

http://www.sovmusic.ru (for the Stalin-era and Brezhnev-era lyrics) http://www.personal.psu.edu/npi103/mos1_himn.htm (for the English translation) https://web.archive.org/web/20080604144129/http://www.mos.ru/cgi-bin/pbl_web?vid=1&osn_id=0&subr_unom=1907&datedoc=0 (for the current lyrics)

External links MP3 Vocal and instrumental recordings of the current anthem A Brezhnev-era MP3 vocal recording A Stalin-era MP3 vocal recording "My Moscow" – korean version "My Moscow" – chinese version