A NOTE ON THE FEATURE
Recently, I have been considering doing a weekly feature on national anthems. I wanted to include a little bit of history, the lyrics to the song, and an evaluation of the ideals it expresses, among other things. As with many of my ideas, this one is sadly not new: Wikipedia beat me to it.
That being said, while the information I give on the anthems may not be original or groundbreaking, I can still bring attention to them. And the evaluation of the ideals each nation expresses in its anthem might still be enlightening. So, with that somewhat depressing prelude, I proceed to the first anthem!
USSR/RUSSIA
This week BYUSA is holding its annual elections. As in years past, campus has become a virtual minefield: nearly every path through campus is littered with campaign booths and representatives. If you're not careful, they'll tag you with yet another circular, ribbon, or other humiliating bit of paraphernalia.
How did I approach this minefield on Monday? Easy--I walked straight into it with my eyes open. Predictably, I was approached by a candidate who had lived on my hall freshman year. We were not great friends that year and barely spoke in the five intervening years between then and now, but still he approached me fully expecting that I would support his campaign because we knew each other.
The most interesting thing about the experience was the campaign paraphernalia he bestowed upon me: a bit of red cloth he tied to my backpack. I have since seen several of his supporters wearing such ribbons as armbands. It's amazing that now, roughly eighteen years after the Berlin wall crumbled, red armbands no longer produce stigma. Yes, my friends, now again it is safe to be a Red.
Parenthetically, here's another interesting story: last year I visited my uncle in Georgia. In his ward on Sunday, a young man gave a farewell address; he was leaving on a mission to Russia. A member of the stake presidency in attendance took a moment to speak to the congregation. He asked everyone who remembered praying that the Gospel would go forth to those behind the Iron Curtain to stand up. Nearly all the adults rose to their feet. Most of them prayed for that the same way we might pray that the Gospel might go forth to the Middle East. Miracles do happen, the Lord's work does go forward, and prayers are answered in ways small and great.
Anyway, let's get to the anthem already.
Musically, it's one of the best national anthems the world has ever known. In fact, it's so good that post-Communist Russia re-adopted the tune in 2000. You can hear an instrumental version here and a version with USSR lyrics here.
The words have changed several times. The song was first written in 1939 as the Anthem of the Bolshevik Party. Originally, the lyrics mentioned Stalin, but after his death in 1953 references to him were removed in accordance with the process of Destalinization. From 1953 to 1977 the anthem was played without lyrics. In the latter year, Robert Doucet, a Canadian, composed lyrics for the song so that it could be sung at the inaugural Canada Cup tournament (hockey, of course). The Soviet Union noticed and adopted the new lyrics; the song remained in that form until the nation's collapse. Below you'll find all four versions of the lyrics. Since this has already gotten so long and most of you have certainly lost interest, I'll talk about the lyrics in a later post.
Anthem of the Bolshevik Party
- Free children of a state unprecedented [until now],
- Today we sing our proud song
- About the most powerful party in the world,
- About our greatest man ever.
-
- CHORUS
-
- Surrounded with glory, soldered by [our] will,
- Grow stronger and live for eternity
- The party of Lenin, the party of Stalin
- Wise party of Bolsheviks!
- You have created a country on our land [starting] from the Kremlin,
- The able Motherland of free people.
- Our Soviet state stands as rock
- Born by your power and truth.
-
- CHORUS
- Rotten breeds of lowly treachers
- You wipe from your way with a formidable hand
- You are the pride of the people, the wisdom of people,
- the heart of the people and their conscience.
-
- CHORUS
- The sparking genius of Marx and Engels
- Envisioned the future rise of the commune.
- Lenin has outlined us the road to the freedom
- And great Stalin is leading us through it.
-
- CHORUS
1944 Version
- United forever in friendship and labour,
- Our mighty republics will ever endure.
- The great Soviet Union will live through the ages.
- The dream of a people their fortress secure.
-
- CHORUS:
- Long live our Soviet Motherland, built by the people's mighty hand.
- Long live our People, united and free.
- Strong in our friendship tried by fire. Long may our crimson flag inspire,
- Shining in glory for all men to see.
- Through days dark and stormy where Great Lenin led us
- Our eyes saw the bright sun of freedom above
- and Stalin our Leader with faith in the People,
- Inspired us to build up the land that we love.
-
- CHORUS:
- Long live our Soviet Motherland, built by the people's mighty hand.
- Long live our People, united and free.
- Strong in our friendship tried by fire. Long may our crimson flag inspire,
- Shining in glory for all men to see.
- We fought for the future, destroyed the invader,
- and brought to our homeland the Laurels of Fame.
- Our glory will live in the memory of nations
- and all generations will honour her name.
-
- CHORUS:
- Long live our Soviet Motherland, built by the people's mighty hand.
- Long live our People, united and free.
- Strong in our friendship tried by fire. Long may our crimson flag inspire,
- Shining in glory for all men to see.
1977 Version
1.
- Unbreakable Union of freeborn Republics,
- Great Russia has welded forever to stand.
- Created in struggle by will of the people,
- United and mighty, our Soviet land!
- CHORUS:
- Sing to the Motherland, home of the free,
- Bulwark of peoples in brotherhood strong.
- O Party of Lenin, the strength of the people,
- To Communism's triumph lead us on!
2.
- Through tempests the sunrays of freedom have cheered us,
- Along the new path where great Lenin did lead.
- To a righteous cause he raised up the peoples,
- Inspired them to labour and valourous deed.
- CHORUS
3.
- In the victory of Communism's deathless ideal,
- We see the future of our dear land.
- And to her fluttering scarlet banner,
- Selflessly true we always shall stand!
- CHORUS
Russia - our sacred stronghold,
Russia - our beloved country.
A mighty will, a great glory
Are your inheritance for all time!
Chorus:
Be glorious, our free Motherland,
Ancient union of brotherly peoples,
Ancestor given wisdom of the people!
Be glorious, country! We take pride in you!
From the southern seas to the polar region
Spread our forests and our fields.
You are one in the world! You are one of a kind,
Native land protected by God!
Chorus
A broad expanse for dreams and for lives
Is opened to us by the coming years.
Our faith in our Motherland gives us strength.
So it was, so it is, and so it will always be!
Chorus
3 comments:
Poor Russia. They're no longer free.
Silly Putin rigging elections, silencing his dissenters, and continuing on in his KGB ways...
That's okay because then someone can write new lyrics about "Wise father Putin with his warm, loving smile" or some such nonsense.
The music is beautiful, however. Thanks B. Zeller!
Brandon, if you must know, and I feel strongly that you must, I thoroughly enjoyed this.
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