"Shine, Shine, My Star" (Russian: "Гори, гори, моя звезда") is an acclaimed Russian romance.
The authorship of the song was uncertain for some time, being ascribed to various people, including Nikolay Gumilyov and Ivan Bunin. A popular belief attributed it to Russian Admiral Aleksandr Kolchak until the 1847 sheet music was found in archives.
According to Russian romance researcher Yelena Ukolova, the song was created amid celebrations of the 700th anniversary of Moscow in January 1847. The music was composed by Pyotr Bulakhov (Петр Булахов), and the lyrics written by student Vladimir Chuyevsky (Владимир Чуевский). However, the romance did not become popular until the eve of World War I when singer Vladimir Sabinin re-arranged it. The breakthrough came in 1915 when Sabinin's gramophone record appeared.
During the Soviet years, the romance was labelled a 'white one' and obliterated for a while. In 1944 it was performed on record by Georgi Vinogradov. But, according to Ukolova, it was the 1956 American film War and Peace that made it possible for this romance to make a true comeback in USSR.
The romance itself persisted only in tenors' repertoire until the bass singer Boris Shtokolov broke the custom.
Lyrics
The lyrics were later adapted into 3 verses. The most famous version of this song, as sung by Anna German, has the following lyrics:
Гори, гори, моя звезда. Звезда любви приветная, Ты у меня одна заветная, Другой не будет никогда. Ты у меня одна заветная, Другой не будет никогда Звезда любви, звезда волшебная Звезда моих минувших дней. Ты будешь вечно неизменная В душе измученной моей. Ты будешь вечно неизменная В душе измученной моей! Лучей твоих неясной силою Вся жизнь моя озарена. Умру ли я - ты над могилою Гори, сияй, моя звезда! Умру ли я - ты над могилою Гори, сияй, моя звезда! Умру ли я - ты над могилою
The following version, by Peter Farnbank, can be sung to the melody of "Gori, gori, moya zvezda".
“Oh shine, oh shine, my wondrous star”