A Russian Christmas Song

Now that we are close from the end of the year and the Christmas festivities have begun, it is time for you to learn a traditional children New Year song “В лесу родилась ёлочка” (A Christmas tree was born in the forest). The song was first written as a poem by Raisa Kudasheva in 1903. It had 56 lines. An amateur composer, Leonid Karlovich Beckmann, decided to set it to music for his daughter in 1905. The song was then cut. This is the short version of this song, as you can listen to everywhere in Russia around Christmas.

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В лесу родилась ёлочка,	A Christmas tree was born in the forest,
В лесу она росла.	Deep in the forest she grew.
Зимой и летом стройная,	In winter and in summer,
Зелёная была.	She was so slender and green.

Метель ей пела песенку:	The blizzard hummed her a lullaby:
"Спи, ёлочка, бай-бай!"	“Sleep, little Christmas tree, sleep well!”
Мороз снежком укутывал:	She was dressed by the frozen snow:
"Смотри, не замерзай!"	“Look, you won't freeze!”

Трусишка зайка серенький	A trembling grey bunny
Под ёлочкой скакал.	Was leaping under her branches.
Порою волк, сердитый волк,	And the hungry wolf passing on and on,
Рысцою пробегал.	In a hurry pace.

Чу! Снег по лесу частому	Hark! The snow in the woods
Под полозом скрипит	Is crunching under the sledge
Лошадка мохноногая	The horse with hairy legs
Торопится, бежит.	Is rushing in a hurry.

Везёт лошадка дровенки	The horse was pulling a sledge
На дровнях мужичок	With a man inside
Срубил он нашу ёлочку	He cut down our Christmas tree
Под самый корешок.	Right to the roots.

И вот она, нарядная,	An now all decorated,
На праздник к нам пришла,	She came to visit us,
И много, много радости	And brought lot and lot of delight
Детишкам принесла.	To the children.

В лесу родилась ёлочка,	A Christmas tree was born in the forest,
В лесу она росла.	Deep in the forest she grew.
Зимой и летом стройная,	In winter and in summer,
Зелёная была.	She was so slender and green.

Ёлочка (Christmas tree) as a feminine gender in Russian. This is why I refer as “She” in the translation.