I initially shared these on my personal blog but decided to repost them here, as this is where I typically focus on revolutionary figures. Did you know Joseph Stalin wrote poetry in his youth? It’s a fascinating detail I’d never encountered before!

Morning

The rose’s bud had blossomed out, 
Reaching out to touch the violet; 
The lily was waking up 
And bending its head in the breeze. 

High in the clouds the lark 
Was singing a chirruping hymn 
While the joyful nightingale 
With a gentle voice was saying: 

‘Be full of blossom, o lovely land, 
Rejoice, Iberians’ country, 
And you, o Georgian, by studying 
Bring joy to your motherland.’ 

Stalin as a Poet: Morning

To The Moon

Move tirelessly
Do not hang your head
Scatter the mist of the clouds
The Lord’s Providence is great.
Gently smile at the earth
Stretched out beneath you;
Sing a lullaby to the glacier
Strung down from the heavens.
Know for certain that once
Struck down to the ground, an oppressed man
Strives again to reach the pure mountain,
When exalted by hope.
So, lovely moon, as before
Glimmer through the clouds;
Pleasantly in the azure vault
Make your beams play.
But I shall undo my vest
And thrust out my chest to the moon,
With outstretched arms, I shall revere
The spreader of light upon the earth!

To The Moon by Joseph Stalin (Soselo)

Lies about the Holodomor, Joseph Stalin, & the U.S.S.R.