These aren’t your plains here, it’s a different clime
Avalanches happen one after another
And rockfall roars after rockfall
And one can turn aside, skirt the precipice
But we choose the difficult path
Dangerous as a military trail

Who hasn’t been here, who hasn’t risked it
Hasn’t truly tested himself
Though down below he may have grasped the stars in the sky
Down there you won’t encounter, no matter how you reach
In all your happy life
The tenth part of these beauties and wonders

There are no crimson roses or funeral ribbons
And unlike a monument
Is the stone that brought you eternal peace
Like an eternal flame, by day glitters
The summit’s emerald ice
Which you still haven’t conquered

And let people talk, yes let them talk
But no - no one dies for nothing
Better this way than from vodka or a cold
Others will come, having exchanged comfort
For risk and inordinate labor
They will pass where you have not

Sheer cliffs -- well, don’t stand there gaping!
Don’t rest your hopes on luck here
In the mountains you can’t rely on stone, nor rock, nor cliff
We hope only in the strength of our arms
In the hand of a friend and the hammered-in hook
And we pray that the safety rope won’t fail us

We chop out our steps. Not one step back!
And our knees are shaking with exertion
And our hearts are ready to break for the summit from our chests
The whole world’s in your hands, you’re happy and speechless
And only a little envious of those
Others, for whom the summit is still ahead