Like a razor, the dawn slashed across weary eyes.
The gun hammers were cocked in a magical rise,
The sharpshooters arrived, as the custom demands,
And the dragonflies rose from the festering lands, -
Then the action went on, with both hands, with both hands!

We are down on our stomachs, we’re hiding our fangs.
Even those among us who avoided red flags,
Who could sense the trap pits with their powerful paws,
Who could dodge the fast bullets by changing their course, -
Even they are exhausted and crawl on all fours.

Never heard that this Life smiled upon our wolf kin,
We all loved it in vain, lifelong lovers.
Death, however, exhibits a beautiful grin
And quite healthy incisors and canines.

Let us smile with a wolfish half-grin at our foe:
The dog withers are ours to be broken!
We are leaving behind us the blood-tattooed snow
That we signed: "We aren’t wolves any longer!"

Hiding tails between legs, in the manner of dogs,
We are watching the sky, disbelieving the odds:
Either heavens’ revenge has come to our land,
Or the world’s end is near, and our minds have gone mad,
But the dragonflies beat us with ease as we stand.

We are blood-drenched with rain that is leaden today,
We’re resigning ourselves, we cannot run away!
Our hot bellies melt snow, we are trying to pant.
But this slaughter was planned not by God, but by Man:
Flyers died in their flight, runners died as they ran.

Bunch of dogs, do not try to advance on my pack,
In a melee we’re favored by fortune.
We are wolves - life is good, we are always on track,
You’re mere dogs - a dog’s death is your portion!

Let us smile with a wolfish half-grin at our foe,
Stopping every canard and newsmónger.
We are leaving behind us the blood-tattooed snow
That we signed: "We aren’t wolves any longer!"

To the woods! At least someone I’ll save from a gun!
To the woods, wolves! it’s harder to kill on the run!
You must flee for your lives, take all pups further back!
I bounce madly, avoiding the shooters’ attack,
And I call the lost souls of my weakening pack.

Those who still are alive hiding on the far shore.
What can I do alone? Nothing works anymore!
All my senses are dulled, and my vision is gone…
Where are you, forest brothers, with whom I have run?
Where are you, my blood kindred, my yellow-eyed clan?!

I’m alive and today I’m surrounded by beasts,
That are guests on the wolves territóry;
They are dogs, distant kin whom we valued the least,
They were always considered our quarry.

As I smile with a wolfish half-grin at my foe,
I expose rotten teeth in my anger.
We are leaving behind us the blood-tattooed snow
That we signed: "We aren’t wolves any longer!"