Forty second

The enemy moved south, towards the Caucasus.
I was on Mount Elbrus, I read the
sign, and immediately imagined
the battle in the realm of snow;covered rocks.
The fighting unfolded near Rzhev;
the entire year the land was ablaze with explosions.

In the center, and to the right and left,
the troops defended the country
with all the power of proud anger.
In Crimea, the enemy continued the war.
There were battles in Sevastopol,
near Kharkiv and on the Don.

No, we haven’t forgotten anything.
No one wanted to die.
Life in the rear was not easy; my mother told me so.
The Soviet marshals knew that Stalingrad must not be lost.

The divisions stood their ground to the death.
Not a step back — that was the order.
And the city was not surrendered to the enemy.
The enemy got bogged down in the pocket near Rzhev,
but Crimea was captured by Meinstein,
but the Caucasus remained ours.

Yes, it wasn’t a very good year.
Leningrad was trapped in a ring.
The light of victory loomed faintly.