Zdravljica
"Zdravljica" ("A Toast") is a famous poem by France Prešeren. It was written in 1844 and has been Slovenia's national anthem since 1991. The most famous is its 7th stanza, for which Stanko Premrl composed a choral composition with the same name. Only the text of this 7th stanza comprises the anthem of Slovenia. In form, the poem is a carmina figurata.
Lyrics
| Prijatli! obrodile | The vintage, friends, is over, |
| so trte vince nam sladkó, | And here sweet wine makes, once again, |
| ki nam oživlja žile, | Sad eyes and hearts recover |
| srce razjásni in oko, | Puts fire into every vein. |
| ki utopi | Drowns dull care |
| vse skrbi, | Everywhere |
| v potrtih prsih up budi! | And summons hope out of despair. |
| Komú narpred veselo | To whom with acclamation |
| zdravljico, bratje! čmo zapét'! | And song shall we our first toast give? |
| Bog našo nam deželo, | God save our land and nation |
| Bog živi ves slovenski svet, | And all Slovenes where'er they live, |
| brate vse, | Who own the same |
| kar nas je | Blood and name, |
| sinov sloveče matere! | And who one glorious Mother claim. |
| V sovražnike 'z oblakov | Let thunder out of heaven |
| rodú naj naš'ga treši gróm | Strike down and smite our wanton foe! |
| prost, ko je bil očakov, | Now, as it once had thriven, |
| najprej naj bo Slovencov dom; | May our dear realm in freedom grow. |
| naj zdrobé | May fall the last |
| njih roké | Chains of the past |
| si spone, ki jih še težé! | Which bind us still and hold us fast! |
| Edinost, sreča, sprava | Let peace, glad conciliation, |
| k nam naj nazaj se vrnejo; | Come back to us throughout the land! |
| otrók, kar ima Slava, | Towards their destination |
| vsi naj si v róke sežejo | Let Slavs henceforth go hand-in-hand! |
| de oblast | Thus again |
| in z njo čast, | Will honour reign |
| ko préd, spet naša boste last! | To justice pledged in our domain. |
| Bog žívi vas Slovenke | To you, our pride past measure, |
| prelepe, žlahtne rožice; | Our girls! Your beauty, charm and grace! |
| ni take je mladenke, | There surely is no treasure |
| ko naše je krvi dekle; | To equal maidens of such race. |
| naj sinóv | Sons you'll bear, |
| zarod nov | Who will dare |
| iz vas bo strah sovražnikov! | Defy our foe no matter where. |
| Mladenči, zdaj se pije | Our hope now, our to-morrow - |
| zdravljica vaše, vi naš up; | The youths - we toast and toast with joy. |
| ljubezni domačije | No poisonous blight or sorrow |
| noben naj vam ne usmŕti strup; | Your love of homeland shall destroy. |
| ker zdaj vas | With us indeed |
| kakor nas, | You're called to heed |
| jo sŕčno bránit kliče čas! | Its summons in this hour of need. |
| Živé naj vsi naródi | God's blessing on all nations, |
| ki hrepené dočakat dan, | Who long and work for that bright day, |
| ko, koder sonce hodi, | When o'er earth's habitations |
| prepir iz svéta bo pregnan, | No war, no strife shall hold its sway; |
| ko rojak | Who long to see |
| prost bo vsak, | That all men free |
| ne vrag, le sosed bo mejak! | No more shall foes, but neighbours be! |
| Nazadnje še, prijatlji, | At last to our reunion - |
| kozarce zase vzdignimo, | To us the toast! Let it resound, |
| ki smo zato se zbratli, | Since in this gay communion |
| ker dobro v srcu mislimo; | By thoughts of brotherhood we're bound |
| dókaj dni | May joyful cheer |
| naj živí | Ne'er disappear |
| vsak, kar nas dobrih je ljudi! | From all good hearts now gathered here. |
(Translation into English by Janko Lavrin)
History
The previous national anthem of Slovenia from 1945 to 1991 was the Yugoslav Hej Slovani in Slovene.
Zdravljica was also performed in the early 1990s by the punk rock band Pankrti (the Bastards).
In 1844 censorship did not allow for the poem to be printed. Later Prešeren himself intended to include it in his Poezije (The Poetries), which is why he omitted the third strophe ("V sovražnike 'z oblakov / rodú naj naš'ga treši gróm") in order to save the rest. However, he was wrong, for censorship anticipated an overall Slavic mentality in the fourth strophe ("Edinost, sreča, sprava / k nam naj nazaj se vrnejo") and did not allow it. Prešeren believed the poem would be mutilated and therefore did not include it in Poezije. Zdravljica was printed in Novice (The News) on 26 April 1848, after the March Revolution of 1848 when censorship was abolished.
External links
- Zdravjica at preseren.net: http://www.preseren.net/slo/3_poezije/13_zdravljica.asp
- Zdravljica as the Slovene national anthem: http://www.uvi.si/eng/slovenia/insignia/anthem/
- Zdravljica in English: http://www.uvi.si/eng/slovenia/insignia/anthem/text/
de:Zdravljica
hu:Szlovén himnusz
pl:Hymn Słowenii
sl:Zdravljica
Categories: National anthems | Poems | Slovenia