Zdravljica
Encyclopedia
Zdravljica or Zdravica, written in 1844, is a poem by the Slovene Romantic poet France Prešeren
, considered the national poet of Slovenes. Since 27 September 1989, its 7th stanza has been the national anthem
of Slovenia
.
Zdravljica is a drinking song
and a carmen figuratum because the shape of each stanza resembles a wine cup
. In it, the poet declares his belief in a free-thinking Slovene and Slavic
political awareness. The poem has been interpreted as a promotion of the idea of a unified Slovenia
, which the March Revolution
in 1848 elevated into a national political programme.
did not allow for the poem to be printed. Later Prešeren himself intended to include it in his poem collection Poezije (Poems), and to that end omitted the third stanza ("V sovražnike 'z oblakov / rodú naj naš'ga treši gróm") in order to save the rest. However the censor (fellow-Slovene Franc Miklošič
in Austrian service) saw in the fourth stanza ("Edinost, sreča, sprava / k nam naj nazaj se vrnejo") an expression of pan-Slavic sentiment
and therefore did not allow its publication either. Prešeren believed the poem would be mutilated without both the third and the fourth stanza and decided against including it in the Poezije. The integral version was first published after the March Revolution when the censorship was abolished. It was published on 26 April 1848 in the newspaper Kmetijske in rokodelske novice
, edited by the conservative
Slovene leader Janez Bleiweis
.
Zdravljica was first set to music in 1905 by the Slovene composer Stanko Premrl
in a choral
composition.
before the breakup of Yugoslavia. Therefore, it was the anthem of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia
, the Republic of Slovenia as a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
from 8 March 1990 to 25 June 1991, and of the Republic of Slovenia as a sovereign state.
The question about whether the entire Zdravljica or only its seventh stanza constitute the national anthem of Slovenia is still unresolved. According to the Article 6 of the Constitution of Slovenia
, valid since 1991, the national anthem of Slovenia is the entire Zdravljica. According to the Act Regulating the Coat-of-Arms, Flag and Anthem of the Republic of Slovenia and the Flag of the Slovene Nation, valid since 1994, the national anthem of Slovenia is its seventh stanza and the web pages of the National Assembly
cite the 7th stanza as the anthem of Slovenia. In practice, mostly only the seventh stanza is sung and reproduced as the national anthem.
Jernej Letnar Černič, a law expert and university lecturer, wrote in September 2010 that the act contradicted the constitution and therefore the entire Zdravljica should be considered the anthem. He also stated that from the ethic, moral, civilization and statehood point of view it seemed to be necessary for Slovenia to use the entire poem as its anthem. Slovene writer Boris Pahor
suggested that using a combination of verses of the seventh and the second stanza as the national anthem, as the second stanza mentions Slovenes, whereas the seventh stanza doesn't.
The following provides the original Slovene text of Zdravljica and its English translation by Janko Lavrin.
France Prešeren
France Prešeren was a Slovene Romantic poet. He is considered the Slovene national poet. Although he was not a particularly prolific author, he inspired virtually all Slovene literature thereafter....
, considered the national poet of Slovenes. Since 27 September 1989, its 7th stanza has been 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 Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
.
Zdravljica is a drinking song
Drinking song
A drinking song is a song sung while drinking alcohol. Most drinking songs are folk songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyrics and in the music...
and a carmen figuratum because the shape of each stanza resembles a wine cup
Wine glass
A wine glass is a type of glass stemware that is used to drink and taste wine. It is generally composed of three parts: the bowl, stem, and foot...
. In it, the poet declares his belief in a free-thinking Slovene and Slavic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
political awareness. The poem has been interpreted as a promotion of the idea of a unified Slovenia
United Slovenia
United Slovenia is the name of an unrealized political programme of the Slovene national movement, formulated during the Spring of Nations in 1848...
, which the March Revolution
Revolutions 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,...
in 1848 elevated into a national political programme.
History
CensorshipCensorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
did not allow for the poem to be printed. Later Prešeren himself intended to include it in his poem collection Poezije (Poems), and to that end omitted the third stanza ("V sovražnike 'z oblakov / rodú naj naš'ga treši gróm") in order to save the rest. However the censor (fellow-Slovene Franc Miklošič
Franc Miklošic
Fran Miklošič , was a Slovene philologist.-Biography:Miklošič was born in the small village of Radomerščak near the Lower Styrian town of Ljutomer, then part of the Austrian Empire....
in Austrian service) saw in the fourth stanza ("Edinost, sreča, sprava / k nam naj nazaj se vrnejo") an expression of pan-Slavic sentiment
Pan-Slavism
Pan-Slavism was a movement in the mid-19th century aimed at unity of all the Slavic peoples. The main focus was in the Balkans where the South Slavs had been ruled for centuries by other empires, Byzantine Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Venice...
and therefore did not allow its publication either. Prešeren believed the poem would be mutilated without both the third and the fourth stanza and decided against including it in the Poezije. The integral version was first published after the March Revolution when the censorship was abolished. It was published on 26 April 1848 in the newspaper Kmetijske in rokodelske novice
Kmetijske in rokodelske novice
Kmetijske in rokodelske novice , frequently referred to simply as Novice , was a Slovene language newspaper in the 19th century, which had an influential role in the Slovene national revival....
, edited by the conservative
Old Slovenes
Old Slovenes is the term used for a national conservative political group in the Slovene Lands from the 1850s to the 1870s, which was opposed to the radical national liberal Young Slovenes...
Slovene leader Janez Bleiweis
Janez Bleiweis
Janez Bleiweis was a Slovene conservative politician, journalist and public figure. He was the leader of the so-called Old Slovene political movement. Already during his lifetime, he was called father of the nation....
.
Zdravljica was first set to music in 1905 by the Slovene composer Stanko Premrl
Stanko Premrl
Stanko Premrl was a Slovenian Roman Catholic priest, composer and music teacher. He is most famous as the author of the music for the Slovenian national anthem, the Zdravljica.Premrl was born in the village of Št...
in a choral
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
composition.
National anthem
Zdravljica, in the composition of Premrl, was adopted as the anthem on 27 September 1989 by the Socialist Republic of SloveniaSocialist Republic of Slovenia
The Socialist Republic of Slovenia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1943 until 1990...
before the breakup of Yugoslavia. Therefore, it was the anthem of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia
Socialist Republic of Slovenia
The Socialist Republic of Slovenia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1943 until 1990...
, the Republic of Slovenia as a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
from 8 March 1990 to 25 June 1991, and of the Republic of Slovenia as a sovereign state.
The question about whether the entire Zdravljica or only its seventh stanza constitute the national anthem of Slovenia is still unresolved. According to the Article 6 of the Constitution of Slovenia
Constitution of Slovenia
The Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia was adopted by the Slovenian National Assembly on December 23, 1991. The document is divided into ten chapters:# General Provisions# Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms# Economic and Social Relations...
, valid since 1991, the national anthem of Slovenia is the entire Zdravljica. According to the Act Regulating the Coat-of-Arms, Flag and Anthem of the Republic of Slovenia and the Flag of the Slovene Nation, valid since 1994, the national anthem of Slovenia is its seventh stanza and the web pages of the National Assembly
National Assembly (Slovenia)
The National Assembly is the general representative body of the Slovenian nation. According to the Constitution of Slovenia and the Constitutional Court of Slovenia, it is the major part of the distinctively incompletely bicameral legislative branch of the Republic of Slovenia. It is unicameral...
cite the 7th stanza as the anthem of Slovenia. In practice, mostly only the seventh stanza is sung and reproduced as the national anthem.
Jernej Letnar Černič, a law expert and university lecturer, wrote in September 2010 that the act contradicted the constitution and therefore the entire Zdravljica should be considered the anthem. He also stated that from the ethic, moral, civilization and statehood point of view it seemed to be necessary for Slovenia to use the entire poem as its anthem. Slovene writer Boris Pahor
Boris Pahor
Boris Pahor is a Slovene writer from Italy. He is considered to be one of the most influential living authors in the Slovene language and has been nominated for the Nobel prize for literature by the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts...
suggested that using a combination of verses of the seventh and the second stanza as the national anthem, as the second stanza mentions Slovenes, whereas the seventh stanza doesn't.
Lyrics
| 1. | |
| Prijatlji! odrodile, | 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. |
| 2. | |
| Komú narpred veselo | To whom with acclamation |
| zdravico, 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. |
| 3. | |
| V sovražnike 'z oblakov | Let thunder out of heaven |
| rodú naj naš'ga trešči gróm, | Strike down and smite our wanton foe! |
| prost, ko je bil očakov, | Now, as it once had thriven, |
| naprej 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 jim še težé! | Which bind us still and hold us fast! |
| 4. | |
| 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 bode last! | To justice pledged in our domain. |
| 5. | |
| 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. |
| 6. | |
| Mladenči, zdaj se pije | Our hope now, our to-morrow - |
| zdravica vaša, 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 po nas | With us indeed |
| bode vas | You're called to heed |
| jo sŕčno bránit klical čas! | Its summons in this hour of need. |
| 7. | |
| Živé naj vsi naródi, | God's blessing on all nations, |
| ki hrepené dočakat dan, | Who long and work for that bright day, |
| da, koder sonce hodi, | When o'er earth's habitations |
| prepir iz svéta bo pregnan, | No war, no strife shall hold its sway; |
| da 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. |
| 8. | |
| Nazadnje še, prijatlji, | At last to our reunion - |
| kozarce zase vzdignimo, | To us the toast! Let it resound, |
| ki smo zato se zbrat'li, | Since in this great 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. |
See also
- National symbols of SloveniaNational symbols of SloveniaThe National symbols of Slovenia are the symbols used in Slovenia and abroad to represent the nation and its people.Political and ethnic symbols:*The most common and recognizable of these is the Flag of Slovenia....
- Naprej zastava slaveNaprej zastava slave"Naprej zastava slave" is a Slovene poem that was used as the Slovenian national anthem between 1918 and 1990.It was written by Simon Jenko and set to music by Davorin Jenko on 16 May 1860....
, anthem of Socialist Republic of SloveniaSocialist Republic of SloveniaThe Socialist Republic of Slovenia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1943 until 1990...
as a part of SFRY