Kots' Russian translation of
The Internationale was used as the national anthem of the
USSR from 1918 until 1944. It was originally published anonymously in a Russian emigre magazine
Listki Zhizni, a companion publication to the
Zhizn ("Life") magazine. His other significant contribution was
The Proletarian Song (Песнь пролетариев). In 1903, Arkady Kots joined the
Russian Social Democratic Labour Party and carried out party assignments in
Mariupol and
Odessa. In 1907-1914, Kots did not belong to any political party. In 1907, a publishing house
Nash Golos (Наш голос) published a collection of verses by Arkady Kots named
Proletarian Songs (Песни пролетариев), which would be immediately confiscated by the
tsarist authorities. Kots is known to have translated a play by
Octave Mirbeau called
Les Mauvais Bergers and published a number of political brochures. In 1914-1920, he sided with the
Mensheviks. During the Great Patriotic War, at the age of seventy, he went to work at a defense plant. He still devoted his free minutes to literary creativity and continued to translate poems by E. Potier into Russian. Kots died after being evacuated to the
Far East in 1943.
Translation of "The Internationale" Kots was presents at the 1899 Congress of French Socialist Organizations, where "
The Internationale" was proclaimed the anthem of the socialists. As a young Russian emigre student, Kots studied at the Paris Mining Institute and participated in the revolutionary movement. Kots loved music and had led a choir of Russian emigrants for some time. The singing of "
The Internationale" made a great impression on him, he recalled, “the voices of all those standing in the hall and in the choirs merged into one powerful rumble of voices that shook the walls of the hall. And when they reached the chorus and the last note of the words broke off, the enthusiasm and enthusiasm of the singers reached their limit. Overwhelmed by an indescribable feeling of unity, people in the hall and in the choirs hugged and kissed ..." Kots' Russian translation of "
The Internationale" was published in 1902 in London in the Marxist journal "Life (Zhizn')" under the pseudonym A. Danin. This translation was very successful due to its brevity, verse, clear rhythm, and forceful words. The name of Kots as translator remained unknown for some time, only in the 1930s was it formally credited to him. The word "translation" is inadequate to describe Kots' contribution to creating the Russian version of
Eugène Pottier's work. Kots chose three stanzas which he considered most suitable for the conditions in Russia and he reworked and adapted their content. His translation stands out for its creative independence.
Poetry • Song of the Proletarians (Песень пролетариев) (1902)* I Can Hear the Sound of His Speeches (Я слышу звук его речей)(Dedicated to
Leo Tolstoy) (1902)[https://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/%D0%AF_%D1%81%D0%BB%D1%8B%D1%88%D1%83_%D0%B7%D0%B2%D1%83%D0%BA_%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%B9_(%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%86) • May Song (Майская песнь) (1904)* The 9th of January (9 января) (1905)[https://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/9_%D1%8F%D0%BD%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8F_(%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%86) • Hymn to Liberty (Гимн свободе) (1905)* Oath (Клятва) (1905)[https://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BB%D1%8F%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B0_(%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%86) == Personal life ==