Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm
Encyclopedia
Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm ("My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy") was adopted as the national anthem
of the Republic of Estonia
in 1920, and again in 1990.
The lyrics
were written by Johann Voldemar Jannsen
and are set to a melody composed in 1848 by Fredrik (Friedrich) Pacius
which is also that of the national anthem
of Finland
: Maamme
("Vårt Land" in Swedish). It is also considered to be national anthem for Livonian people
with text Min izāmō, min sindimō
, My Fatherland, my native land.
.
Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm was officially adopted as the national anthem of Estonia in 1920, after the Estonian War of Independence.
During the Soviet occupation since 1944, Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm was banned. Between 1945 and 1990 the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
had a different anthem
. Yet, the people of Estonia could often hear the melody, as Finland's state broadcaster Yleisradio
, whose radio
and television
broadcasts were received in Northern Estonia, played an instrumental version of the Finnish national anthem
, identical to this song (except for an additional repetition of the last verse in the Finnish version), at closedown every night.
kui kaunis oled sa!
Ei leia mina iial teal
see suure, laia ilma peal,
mis mul nii armas oleks ka,
kui sa, mu isamaa!
Sa oled mind ju sünnitand
ja üles kasvatand;
sind tänan mina alati
ja jään sull' truuiks surmani,
mul kõige armsam oled sa,
mu kallis isamaa!
Su üle Jumal valvaku
mu armas isamaa!
Ta olgu sinu kaitseja
ja võtku rohkest õnnista,
mis iial ette võtad sa,
mu kallis isamaa!
How fair thou art and bright!
And nowhere in the world all round
Can ever such a place be found
So well beloved as I love thee,
My native country dear!
My little cradle stood on ground soil,
Whose blessings ease my toil.
With my last breath my thanks to thee,
For true to death I'll ever be,
O worthy, most beloved and fine,
Thou, dearest country mine!
May God in Heaven thee gave birth to me,
My best, my dearest land!
May He be guard, may He be shield,
For ever may He bless and wield
O graciously all deeds of thine,
Thou dearest country mine!
How beautiful you are!
I shall not find such ever
In this huge wide world
Which would be so dear to me
As you, my fatherland!
You have given me birth
And raised me up;
I shall thank you always
And remain faithful to you 'til death,
To me most beloved are you,
My precious fatherland!
May God watch over you,
My precious fatherland!
Let Him be your defender
And provide bountiful blessings
For whatever you undertake,
My precious fatherland!
ku illos olõt sa!
Ei lövväq ma joht ilman tääl taa suurõ,
laja ilma pääl,
miä mul nii armsa olnuq ka,
ku saq, mu esämaa!
Su pääl ma olõ sündünüq ja üles kasunuq;
ma tennä sinno alasi ja jää sull' truvvis surmani,
mul kõgõ armsamb olõt sa,
mu kallis esämaa!
Su perrä Jummal kaegu, mu armsa esämaa!
Tä olku sino kaitsja ja võtku heldele õnnista',
miä ilman ette võtat sa,
mu kallis esämaa!
media, the title is often spelt without the diacritical signs, so "Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm" becomes "Mu isamaa, mu onn ja room". Although Estonians can mostly recognize the incorrect form, it is usually considered humorous since it severely changes the meaning: while "õnn ja rõõm" means "happiness and joy", "onn ja room" can roughly be translated as "(small) hut and crawl".
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...
of the Republic of Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
in 1920, and again in 1990.
The lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
were written by Johann Voldemar Jannsen
Johann Voldemar Jannsen
Johann Voldemar Jannsen was an Estonian journalist and poet active in Livonia....
and are set to a melody composed in 1848 by Fredrik (Friedrich) Pacius
Fredrik Pacius
Fredrik Pacius was a German composer and conductor who lived most of his life in Finland. He has been called the "Father of Finnish music"....
which is also that of the 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...
of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
: Maamme
Maamme
Maamme or Vårt land is the title of Finland's national anthem. There is no law on an official national anthem in Finland, but Maamme is firmly established by convention....
("Vårt Land" in Swedish). It is also considered to be national anthem for Livonian people
Livonian people
The Livonians or Livs are the indigenous inhabitants of Livonia, a large part of what is today northwestern Latvia and southwestern Estonia. They spoke the Uralic Livonian language, a language which is closely related to Estonian and Finnish...
with text Min izāmō, min sindimō
Min izamo
Min izāmō is the national anthem of the Livonians. The song was written by Kōrli Stalte , a poet and spiritual leader of Livonians, to a melody composed by Fredrik Pacius . It is written in the Livonian language. Translated, the title of the song means "My Fatherland".-1...
, My Fatherland, my native land.
History
The song was first presented to the public as a choral work in the Grand Song Festival of Estonia in 1869 and quickly became a symbol of the Estonian National AwakeningEstonian national awakening
The Estonian Age of Awakening is a period in history where Estonians came to acknowledge themselves as a nation deserving the right to govern themselves. This period is considered to begin in 1850s with greater rights being granted to commoners and to end with the declaration of the Republic of...
.
Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm was officially adopted as the national anthem of Estonia in 1920, after the Estonian War of Independence.
During the Soviet occupation since 1944, Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm was banned. Between 1945 and 1990 the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic , often abbreviated as Estonian SSR or ESSR, was a republic of the Soviet Union, administered by and subordinated to the Government of the Soviet Union...
had a different anthem
Anthem of Estonian SSR
The State Anthem of the Estonian SSR was the anthem of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, a republic of the Soviet Union. It was official from 1945 to 1990....
. Yet, the people of Estonia could often hear the melody, as Finland's state broadcaster Yleisradio
Yleisradio
The Finnish Broadcasting Company , abbreviated to YLE , is Finland's national broadcasting company, founded in 1926. YLE is a public-broadcasting organization which shares many of its characteristics with its British counterpart, the BBC, on which it was largely modelled...
, whose radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcasts were received in Northern Estonia, played an instrumental version of the Finnish national anthem
Maamme
Maamme or Vårt land is the title of Finland's national anthem. There is no law on an official national anthem in Finland, but Maamme is firmly established by convention....
, identical to this song (except for an additional repetition of the last verse in the Finnish version), at closedown every night.
Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm
Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm,kui kaunis oled sa!
Ei leia mina iial teal
see suure, laia ilma peal,
mis mul nii armas oleks ka,
kui sa, mu isamaa!
Sa oled mind ju sünnitand
ja üles kasvatand;
sind tänan mina alati
ja jään sull' truuiks surmani,
mul kõige armsam oled sa,
mu kallis isamaa!
Su üle Jumal valvaku
mu armas isamaa!
Ta olgu sinu kaitseja
ja võtku rohkest õnnista,
mis iial ette võtad sa,
mu kallis isamaa!
English version (non-literal)
My native land, my joy and delight,How fair thou art and bright!
And nowhere in the world all round
Can ever such a place be found
So well beloved as I love thee,
My native country dear!
My little cradle stood on ground soil,
Whose blessings ease my toil.
With my last breath my thanks to thee,
For true to death I'll ever be,
O worthy, most beloved and fine,
Thou, dearest country mine!
May God in Heaven thee gave birth to me,
My best, my dearest land!
May He be guard, may He be shield,
For ever may He bless and wield
O graciously all deeds of thine,
Thou dearest country mine!
Literal translation into English
My fatherland, my joy and happiness,How beautiful you are!
I shall not find such ever
In this huge wide world
Which would be so dear to me
As you, my fatherland!
You have given me birth
And raised me up;
I shall thank you always
And remain faithful to you 'til death,
To me most beloved are you,
My precious fatherland!
May God watch over you,
My precious fatherland!
Let Him be your defender
And provide bountiful blessings
For whatever you undertake,
My precious fatherland!
Võro translation
Mu esämaa, mu õnn ja rõõm,ku illos olõt sa!
Ei lövväq ma joht ilman tääl taa suurõ,
laja ilma pääl,
miä mul nii armsa olnuq ka,
ku saq, mu esämaa!
Su pääl ma olõ sündünüq ja üles kasunuq;
ma tennä sinno alasi ja jää sull' truvvis surmani,
mul kõgõ armsamb olõt sa,
mu kallis esämaa!
Su perrä Jummal kaegu, mu armsa esämaa!
Tä olku sino kaitsja ja võtku heldele õnnista',
miä ilman ette võtat sa,
mu kallis esämaa!
Note
In English languageEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
media, the title is often spelt without the diacritical signs, so "Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm" becomes "Mu isamaa, mu onn ja room". Although Estonians can mostly recognize the incorrect form, it is usually considered humorous since it severely changes the meaning: while "õnn ja rõõm" means "happiness and joy", "onn ja room" can roughly be translated as "(small) hut and crawl".
External links
- The website of the President of the Republic of Estonia has a page on National symbols, including the anthem. The Estonian language version of this page also includes an instrumental version.
- The Estonian national anthem - web page of the State Chancellery, played by The Defence Forces Orchestra, vocals by the National Male Choir.
- Streaming audio, lyrics and details of the Estonian anthem.