Ночь перед Рождеством [Notsh Pired Nazhdyetstvam] [English translation]

Once upon a time I was riding a horse,

Hurrying it with a horsewhip.

There's a dark forest on my way,

And someone's howling and yelling in that forest.

I was riding to my darling girl, riding on the ice, she lives 15 verst (1 verst=0.6629 mile) from me,

And it's snowing so hard (it's a blizzard) that one can only see

The tail of my black horse.

Suddenly there was a howl, my horse bolted,

Oh goodness me, I almost fell into a snowdrift!

I took my sawed-off shotgun out of my sheepskin coat,

And shouted to my horse, "Help me, my dear friend!"

And the devils were tearing after me so hard

That I started crossing myself, and my soul was seized with fear.

I'm firing my shotgun blindly,

Oh, if only I had silver bullets!

God help me!

Oh, I'm fed up with them enemies!

Saint Nicolas, save me!

They are getting to me, those devils!

And the hamlet (where his girl lives) is already at stone's cast,

The nasty bloodsuckers won't get me now!

Here's the house of my girl:

I'll make a holy circle around it.

I drove my horse to the front porch

And gave it almost a whole sack of hay at once.

"Eat, my dear friend, you surely have saved me!

Oh, my black stallion!"--I was commending the horse.

God help me!

Oh, I'm fed up with them enemies!

Saint Nicolas, save me!

They are getting to me, those devils!

I'm crossing myself saying, "God's Mother, protect me;

When I'll be racing back, let there be good weather!"

I'm knocking on the window of my darling Galya (Russian female name)

"Your beloved one has come, take the wine out!"

I'll take Galya in my arms, and we'll go to sleep.

Tomorrow it's going to be frosty, and I'll have to ride back home.

Jesus Christ and my horse, help me!

God help me!

Oh, I'm fed up with them enemies!

Saint Nicolas, save me!

They are getting to me, those devils!

• Artist:Sektor Gaza