“Trailblazers“ (Russian Colonist Song) — English subs and translation

Russian Federation, 2011 Donate & Support: A song from the play “Jakov Pokhabov” of the Irkutsk Folk Drama Theater, directed by Mikhail Kornev. It is performed in a dashing Cossack manner, imitates the ancient language and rhythms of the old Russian “Bylina” epic, transferring the listener to the world of brave “zemleprokhodtsy“ (trailblazers) - heroic Russian people who conquered the vast expanses of Siberia and the Far East in the 16th-18th centuries, expanding our empire and thereby gaining a new home for theirselves and their descendants. Headman Jakov Pokhabov was just one of such heroes of Russian colonization, having founded the strategically important fortress city of Irkutsk, which protected Baikal lands from raids from China and Mongolia. It was on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the founding of this city that the song, that we bring to your attention, was composed. Portrayed by a Siberian man from the “Northern Eagle&qu