“Farewell, rocky mountains” 

It is the famous Soviet WWII-time song of the seamen of the Soviet Northern Fleet.

It is necessary to say a few words about the history of the creation of this song.

Rybachii is a peninsula nearly Murmansk. From the first days of the war the defenders of Rybachii were cut 
off from the mainland. They were surrounded by the Barents Sea from three sides and by the Germans from the 
fourth side. The valiant garrison of Rybachii fought against the Germans almost for 40 months in such conditions! 
The Soviet seamen called Rybachii "the granite battleship".

Hitler demanded to capture at least the part of Rybachii at any price. But the firmness and the bravery of the defenders 
of Rybachii didn't let for the Germans to do it. It was from the rocky mountains of Rybachii from where the Soviet 
Marines went in the raids against the enemy coast. Nikolai Bukin, an ordinary Marine, was a crewman of "the 
granite battleship". He wrote the poem which soon became the very popular song of the Soviet military seamen. 
And it was the very popular song of not only seamen but of the other Soviet soldiers also.

Admiral Golovko, the commander of the Soviet North Sea Fleet during WWII, recalled that when a British 
admiral visited his headquarters the dinner for the honour of the visitors was organized and the first song 
which was singed in the dinner was “Farewell, rocky mountains”.

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“Farewell, rocky mountains”

(Translated by Andrey)

Farewell, rocky mountains,
The Fatherland calls us to a feat!
We have went to open sea
For a harsh and far campaign.
And waves moan and cry,
And splash on the board of the ship.
The Rybachii [1] passed out of a sight in a far fog,
It is our home land.
The Rybachii [1] passed out of a sight in a far fog,
It is our home land.

Our ship is tossing obstinately
By a stern sea wave,
It is raising and is throwing again the ship
In the boiled abyss.
I shall return back not quickly
But I have enough forces for a battle.
I know, friends, that I can not live without a sea
Like a sea is dead without me.

I come towards an enemy
By sailor’s not easy gait.
And later I shall return to the home rocky coast
With a feat victory.
Though waves moan and cry
And splash on the board of the ship
But the Rybachii will gaily meet the heroes
It is our home land.
But the Rybachii will gaily meet the heroes
It is our home land.

1944

Remark of Andrey:
[1] The Rybachii is a peninsula nearly Murmansk

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The Russian version (translit):

"Proshchaite, skalistye gory"

Proshchaite, skalistye gory, 
Na podvig Otchizna zoviot! 
My vyshli v otkrytoe more, 
V surovyi i dal'nii pokhod. 
A volny i stonut, i plachut, 
I pleshchut na bort korablia.
Rastaial v dalekom tumane Rybachii, 
Rodimaia nasha zemlia. 
Rastaial v dalekom tumane Rybachii, 
Rodimaia nasha zemlia. 

Korabl' nash upriamo kachaet 
Krutaia morskaia volna, 
Podnimet i snova brosaet 
V kipiashchuiu bezdnu ona. 
Obratno vernus' ia ne skoro, 
No khvatit dlia bitvy ognia. 
Ia znaiu, druz'ia, chto ne zhit' mne bez moria,
Kak more mertvo bez menia. 
 
Neliogkoi pokhodkoi matrosskoi 
Idu ia navstrechu vragam, 
A posle s pobedoi geroiskoi 
K skalistym vernus' beregam. 
Khot' volny i stonut, i plachut, 
I pleshchut na bort korablia, 
No radostno vstretit geroev Rybachii, 
Rodimaia nasha zemlia.
No radostno vstretit geroev Rybachii, 
Rodimaia nasha zemlia.

1944