I first heard this sung at a kitchen table, probably around 1960, in New Jersey, by a group of Khalmyk (Mongolian) friends. Save for the few times we sang it in those years, I have not heard it since. I taught it (as well as I remembered) to Ed Trickett and Ann Muir, and we sang it, off and on, for many years. Once, after we sang it in Minneapolis, Frank Kane presented me with a written version of it, which helped me "ungarble" our version. Even the Khalmyks, most of whom spoke Russian better than English at that time, couldn't give me a full translation - "Too many very old words there, " they said. ( Same with every other Russian-speaker I've sung it to.) It is attributed to Dmitri Bortnianski, who was the Court Musician to Catherine the Great, but I call it "traditional" because the Khalmyks (who are Tibet an-type Buddhists) loved it enoughto add it to their already-rich musical tradition. I thank them for the peace and joy it has given me. I arranged it here for Quasi Modal Chorus, Bok and 'cellamba.
(My phonetics:)
KOL SLAVYEN NASH,
GAS POD F'SIDNYE
NYI MOZJET TI ZYAS NIT YIZIK
VI LIN KON VNYI
BI SACH NA TRONYE
V'BILYNKAKH NA
ZIM LI VILIK
Cho: VEZ DIEH, GAS POD
VEZ DIEH TUI SLAVYEN
V'NOZH DJI VADNYI
SIONYE RA-AVEN
Partial translation: from various friends;
a compendium: )
All over is God
All over everything
Night and day, all the same,
The friend.