"Once there was a Sovereign Russia" — English subs and translation

Russian Republic, 1917 Donate & Support: Nostalgic and sorrowful poem by the monarchist poet Sergej Bekhtejev, written in April 1917, between two Russian revolutions. Shortly after writing this poem, Bekhtejev would become a police officer of the White movement and would participate in the Civil War and leave Russia as an emigrant, where he would continue to write monarchical poems, becoming one of the most famous poets of the White Emigration. Song version of the poem is performed by the “Gromoglas“ band. Portrayed by an unknown officer of the Russian Imperial Army wearing a revolutionary red bow and removing the Czar’s cyphers from his shoulder boards on the picture “Otrechenije“ (“The Abdication“) by Pavel Ryzhenko. This officer holds a rank of colonel and belongs to the Life-Guards Izmaylovsky Regiment. His physical appearance is close to Vladimir Jegor’jev, a Czarist officer who joined the Red Army