Desteapta-te, române!
Encyclopedia
"Deșteaptă-te, române" deʃˈte̯aptəte roˈmɨne (variously translated as "Awaken thee, Romanian!", "Awaken, Romanian!", or "Wake Up, Romanian!") is Romania
's national anthem
.
The lyrics were composed by Andrei Mureșanu
(1816–1863) and the music was popular (it was chosen for the poem by Gheorghe Ucenescu, as most sources say). It was written and published during the 1848 revolution, initially with the name "Un răsunet" ("An echo"). It was first sung in late June in the same year in the city of Brașov
, on the streets of Șchei quarter. It was immediately accepted as the revolutionary anthem and renamed "Deșteaptă-te, române".
Since then, this song, which contains a message of liberty and patriotism, has been sung during all major Romanian conflicts, including during the 1989 anti-Ceauşist revolution
. After that revolution, it became the national anthem, replacing the communist-era national anthem "Trei culori
" ("Three colors").
July 29 is now "National Anthem Day" (Ziua Imnului național), an annual observance in Romania.
The song was also used on various solemn occasions in the Moldavian Democratic Republic
, during its brief existence, between 1917 and 1918. Betweenn 1991 and 1994 it was the national anthem of Moldova
as well, but was subsequently replaced by the current Moldovan anthem, "Limba noastră
" ("Our language").
, "Deșteaptă-te române" has been the most enduring national anthem of Romania. In the days following the state coup of August 23, 1944, when Romania turned against Nazi
Germany
and participated in the war along with the Allies
, the song received heavy radio broadcast.
After the seizure of power by the communists on December 30, 1947, "Deşteaptă-te române" and other patriotic songs closely associated with the previous regime were outlawed. Ceaușescu
's government permitted the song to be played and sung in public, but it was not given state recognition as the national anthem.
The overall message of the anthem is a "call to action"; it proposes a "now or never" urge for change present in many national anthems like the French revolutionary
Marseillaise
. This is the reason why Nicolae Bălcescu
called it the "Romanian Marseillaise".
(1821–1890), which was sung a great deal on the occasion of the Union of the Principalities (1859) and on all occasions when the Romanians aspired to union and harmony among themselves. "Hora Unirii" is sung on the Romanian folk tune of a slow but energetic round dance joined by the whole attendance. The round dance (hora
) is itself an ancient ritual, symbolizing spiritual communion, equality and the Romanians' wish for a common life.
, the full version is sung, accompanied by 21 artillery shots when the President
is present at the event.
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Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
's national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
.
The lyrics were composed by Andrei Mureșanu
Andrei Muresanu
Andrei Mureșianu was a Romanian poet and revolutionary of Transylvania .Born to a family of peasants, he studied philosophy and theology in Blaj. Starting in 1838, Mureșianu was a professor at Brașov...
(1816–1863) and the music was popular (it was chosen for the poem by Gheorghe Ucenescu, as most sources say). It was written and published during the 1848 revolution, initially with the name "Un răsunet" ("An echo"). It was first sung in late June in the same year in the city of Brașov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
, on the streets of Șchei quarter. It was immediately accepted as the revolutionary anthem and renamed "Deșteaptă-te, române".
Since then, this song, which contains a message of liberty and patriotism, has been sung during all major Romanian conflicts, including during the 1989 anti-Ceauşist revolution
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
. After that revolution, it became the national anthem, replacing the communist-era national anthem "Trei culori
Trei culori
Trei culori was the national anthem of Romania from 1977 until 1990. Since 1990, after the anti-communist Romanian Revolution of 1989, it has been replaced by Deşteaptă-te, române!...
" ("Three colors").
July 29 is now "National Anthem Day" (Ziua Imnului național), an annual observance in Romania.
The song was also used on various solemn occasions in the Moldavian Democratic Republic
Moldavian Democratic Republic
The Moldavian Democratic Republic , a.k.a. Moldavian Republic, was the state proclaimed on by Sfatul Ţării of Bessarabia, elected in October-November 1917 in the wake of the February Revolution and disintegration of the political power in the Russian Empire.Sfatul Ţării was its legislative body,...
, during its brief existence, between 1917 and 1918. Betweenn 1991 and 1994 it was the national anthem of Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
as well, but was subsequently replaced by the current Moldovan anthem, "Limba noastră
Limba noastra
For the Moldovan public holiday on 31st August, see National Language Day"Limba noastră" has been since 1994 the national anthem of the Republic of Moldova. For a short period before that, the official anthem of the country was Deşteaptă-te, române!, which is also the national anthem of Romania....
" ("Our language").
History of the anthem
Since the uprisings of 1848Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas
From March 1848 through July 1849, the Habsburg Austrian Empire was threatened by revolutionary movements. Much of the revolutionary activity was of a nationalist character: the empire, ruled from Vienna, included Austrian Germans, Hungarians, Slovenes, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Ruthenians,...
, "Deșteaptă-te române" has been the most enduring national anthem of Romania. In the days following the state coup of August 23, 1944, when Romania turned against Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and participated in the war along with the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
, the song received heavy radio broadcast.
After the seizure of power by the communists on December 30, 1947, "Deşteaptă-te române" and other patriotic songs closely associated with the previous regime were outlawed. Ceaușescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
's government permitted the song to be played and sung in public, but it was not given state recognition as the national anthem.
The overall message of the anthem is a "call to action"; it proposes a "now or never" urge for change present in many national anthems like the French revolutionary
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
Marseillaise
La Marseillaise
"La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song, originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" was written and composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792. The French National Convention adopted it as the Republic's anthem in 1795...
. This is the reason why Nicolae Bălcescu
Nicolae Balcescu
Nicolae Bălcescu was a Romanian Wallachian soldier, historian, journalist, and leader of the 1848 Wallachian Revolution.-Early life:...
called it the "Romanian Marseillaise".
Another anthem
Besides this anthem, the Romanians also have "Hora Unirii" ("The Unity Hora (dance)"), written in 1855 by the poet Vasile AlecsandriVasile Alecsandri
Vasile Alecsandri was a Romanian poet, playwright, politician, and diplomat. He collected Romanian folk songs and was one of the principal animators of the 19th century movement for Romanian cultural identity and union of Moldavia and Wallachia....
(1821–1890), which was sung a great deal on the occasion of the Union of the Principalities (1859) and on all occasions when the Romanians aspired to union and harmony among themselves. "Hora Unirii" is sung on the Romanian folk tune of a slow but energetic round dance joined by the whole attendance. The round dance (hora
Chorea (dance)
Choreia is a circle dance accompanied by singing , in ancient Greece. Homer refers to this dance in his epic poem, the Iliad....
) is itself an ancient ritual, symbolizing spiritual communion, equality and the Romanians' wish for a common life.
Original verses in Romanian
Romania's national anthem has eleven stanzas, although only the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 11th are sung on official occasions, as established by Romanian law. At major events, such as the National HolidayUnion Day
Great Union Day occurring on December 1, is the national holiday of Romania. It commemorates the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia, which declared the Union of Transylvania with Romania....
, the full version is sung, accompanied by 21 artillery shots when the President
President of Romania
The President of Romania is the head of state of Romania. The President is directly elected by a two-round system for a five-year term . An individual may serve two terms...
is present at the event.
| Original Romanian |
Literal Translation |
|---|---|
| Deșteaptă-te, române, din somnul cel de moarte, | Wake up, Romanian, from the sleep of death |
| În care te-adânciră barbarii de tirani | Into which you have been sunk by the barbaric tyrants |
| Acum ori niciodată croiește-ți altă soarte, | Now, or never, make a new fate for yourself, |
| La care să se-nchine și cruzii tăi dușmani. | To which even your cruel enemies will bow. |
| Acum ori niciodată să dăm dovezi la lume | Now or never let us give proof to the world |
| Că-n aste mâni mai curge un sânge de roman, | That in these veins a Roman Roman Empire The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean.... blood still flows, |
| Și că-n a noastre piepturi păstrăm cu fală-un nume | That in our chests we hold a name with pride, |
| Triumfător în lupte, un nume de Traian. | Victorious in battle, the name of Trajan Trajan Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against... !The emperor Trajan Trajan Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against... conquered Dacia Dacia In ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians or Getae as they were known by the Greeks—the branch of the Thracians north of the Haemus range... , more or less the same territory as modern Romania, for the Roman Empire Roman Empire The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean.... . |
| Înalță-ți lata frunte și caută-n giur de tine, | Raise your broad forehead and see around you |
| Cum stau ca brazi în munte voinici sute de mii; | How, like fir trees on a mountain, hundreds of thousands of strong men stand; |
| Un glas ei mai așteaptă și sar ca lupi în stâne, | Just waiting for a voice to pounce like wolves on sheep, |
| Bătrâni, bărbați, juni, tineri, din munți și din câmpii. | Elders, men, youths, boys, from the mountains and from the plains. |
| Priviți, mărețe umbre, Mihai, Ștefan, Corvine, | Behold, great shadows, Mihai, Ștefan, Corvinus John Hunyadi John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (Hungarian: Hunyadi János , Medieval Latin: Ioannes Corvinus or Ioannes de Hunyad, Romanian: Iancu (Ioan) de Hunedoara, Croatian: Janko Hunjadi, Serbian: Сибињанин Јанко / Sibinjanin Janko, Slovak: Ján Huňady) John Hunyadi (Hungarian: Hunyadi János , Medieval Latin: ... , |
| Româna națiune, ai voştri strănepoți, | The Romanian Nation, your great-grandchildren, |
| Cu brațele armate, cu focul vostru-n vine, | With weapons in their arms, with your fire in their veins, |
| "Viața-n libertate ori moarte" strigă toți. | "Life in freedom or death!" shout all. |
| Pre voi vă nimiciră a pizmei răutate | You were vanquished by the evils of your envy |
| Și oarba neunire la Milcov și Carpați | And by your blind disunity, at Milcov and the Carpathian Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe... s |
| Dar noi, pătrunși la suflet de sfânta libertate, | But we, whose souls were pierced by holy liberty, |
| Jurăm că vom da mâna, să fim pururea fraţi. | Swear that for ever in brotherhood will join. |
| O mamă văduvită de la Mihai cel Mare | A widowed mother from the time of Michael the GreatThat is, Romania itself, briefly united as a domain by Michael. |
| Pretinde de la fiii-și azi mână d-ajutori, | Claims from her sons today a helping hand, |
| Și blastămă cu lacrămi în ochi pe orișicare, | And with tears in her eyes curses whomsoever, |
| În astfel de pericul s-ar face vânzători. | In such great peril, a traitor would become. |
| De fulgere să piară, de trăsnet și pucioasă, | Of thunder and of brimstone should they perish |
| Oricare s-ar retrage din gloriosul loc, | Anyone who would flee the glorious place |
| Când patria sau mama, cu inima duioasă, | When our land or our mother, with a sorrowful heart, |
| Va cere ca să trecem prin sabie şi foc. | Will ask us to cross through swords and blazing fire. |
| N-ajunge iataganul barbarei semilune, | Didn't we have enough of the yatagan Yatagan The yatagan or yataghan is a type of Ottomanknife or short sabre used from the mid-16th to late 19th centuries.... of the barbaric crescent Ottoman Empire The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries... |
| A cărui plăgi fatale și azi le mai simțim; | Whose fatal wounds we still feel today; |
| Acum se vâră cnuta în vetrele străbune, | Now the knout Knout A knout is a heavy scourge-like multiple whip, usually made of a bunch of rawhide thongs attached to a long handle, sometimes with metal wire or hooks incorporated.... A whip usually associated with Russia, as the yatagan Yatagan The yatagan or yataghan is a type of Ottomanknife or short sabre used from the mid-16th to late 19th centuries.... was with the Ottomans. is intruding in our ancestral homes, |
| Dar martor ne e Domnul că vii nu o primim. | But the Lord is our witness that we shall not accept it alive. |
| N-ajunge despotismul cu-ntreaga lui orbie, | Didn't we have enough of the blinded despotism, |
| Al cărui jug de seculi ca vitele-l purtăm; | Whose yoke, like cattle, for centuries we have carried? |
| Acum se-ncearcă cruzii, cu oarba lor trufie, | Now the cruel ones are trying, in their blind arrogance, |
| Să ne răpească limba, dar morţi numai o dăm. | To take away our language, but only dead will we surrender it. |
| Români din patru unghiuri, acum ori niciodată | Romanians from the four corners, now or never |
| Uniți-vă în cuget, uniți-vă-n simțiri. | Unite in thought, unite in feeling |
| Strigați în lumea largă că Dunărea-i furată | Proclaim to the wide world that the Danube Danube The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway.... is stolen |
| Prin intrigă și silă, viclene uneltiri. | Through intrigue and coercion, sly machinations. |
| Preoți, cu crucea-n frunte căci oastea e creştină, | Priests, lead with your crucifixes, for our army is Christian, |
| Deviza-i libertate și scopul ei preasfânt. | The motto is Liberty and its goal is holy, |
| Murim mai bine-n luptă, cu glorie deplină, | Better to die in battle, in full glory, |
| Decât să fim sclavi iarăși în vechiul nost' pământ. | Than to once again be slaves upon our ancient ground! |
Other translations
Note that, in accordance with Romanian law, there are no official translations of the anthem.A more poetic translation
1- Awaken thee, Romanian, wake up from deadly slumber
- The scourge of inauspicious barbarian tyrannies
- And now or never to a bright horizon clamber
- That shall to shame put all your enemies.
2
- It's now or never that we prove to the world
- That in these veins still flows Roman blood
- And in our hearts for ever we glorify a name
- Triumphant in battles, the name of Traian.
4
- Behold, imperial shadows, Michael, Stephen, CorvinusMatthias Corvinus of HungaryMatthias Corvinus , also called the Just in folk tales, was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458, at the age of 14 until his death...
- At the Romanian nation, your mighty progeny
- With arms like steel and hearts of fire impetuous
- "Live in liberty, or die" that's what they all decree.
11
- Priests, raise the cross, as this army's Christian
- Give it liberty and it's sanctified scope
- We'd die better in battle, with honorary glory
- Than live again enslaved on our ancestral land.
Alternate translation
1- Romanian, awaken your Spirit from the sleep of Death
- Impressed upon you by Tyrannies of barbarians;
- Now or never, fashion a new Fate,
- Stronger than your foes', Fate for them to bow to.
2
- Now or never, our legacy prove to all,
- That through our veins still flows the Blood of Ancient Rome
- That in our chests we proudly hail a Name,
- Triumphant in battle, the Name of Trajan.
3
- Raise your strong brow and gaze around you
- As trees stand in a forest, brave youths, a hundred thousand
- An order they await, ready to pounce, as wolves among the sheep
- Old men, and young, from mountains high and open plains.
4
- Gaze mightily, glorious shadows, Michael, Stephen, Corvine
- The Romanian nation, your descendants,
- With weapons in their hands, with your Fire burning
- "Life in Liberty or Death", all shout together.
5
- You were vanquished by the evils of envy
- By the blind disunity at the Milcov and Carpathians
- But we, our Spirit touched by saintly Liberty,
- Swear allegiance, to be forever Brothers.
6
- A widowed mother from the time of Michael the Great
- Asks of her sons a helping hand today
- And curses, with tears in her eyes, whosoever
- In times of such great danger, proves to be a traitor.
7
- May lightning bolts, thunder and brimstone kill
- Whoever retreats from the glorious battle
- When motherland or mother, with a tender heart,
- Will ask us to pass through sword and flame.
8
- Is not enough the yatagan of the barbaric crescent
- Whose fatal wounds we feel burning today;
- Now, the knout intrudes on our ancestral lands,
- But with God as witness, we will fight it to the Death
9
- Is not enough the despotism and its unseeing eye
- Which for centuries enslaved us, as cattle?
- Now, attempt the cruel, in their blind haughtiness,
- To steal our Language, but we will fight them to the Death
10
- Romanians of the four corners, now or never,
- Be United in your Thoughts, United in your Feelings
- Shout out to the world that the Danube is stolen
- Through intrigue and coercion, malicious plots.
11
- Priests, with the Cross before you, as the army is Christian,
- The motto is Liberty and its goal eternal
- Better dead in battle, in full glory
- Than be enslaved again in our ancestral homeland.