“He was not of rank exalted, He was not of noble birth, He was bred among the people In the breast of Mother Earth. But the malice of the nobles And the Tsar’s revengeful wrath Drove him forth to grief and torture On the martyr’s chosen path. He set out to teach the people Freedom, love, equality, To exhort them to resistance; But to flee the penalty Of the prison, whip and gallows, To a foreign land he went. While the people waited hoping From Smolensk to far Tashkent, Waited eager for his coming To rebel against their fate, To arise and crush the Tsardom And the nobles’ vicious hate, To share all the wealth in common, And the antiquated thrall Of the church, the home and marriage To abolish once for all.”