National anthem of Slovenia


The national anthem of Slovenia is based on "Zdravljica", a carmen figuratum poem by the 19th-century Romantic Slovene poet France Prešeren, inspired by the ideals of Liberté, égalité, fraternité, and set to music by Stanko Premrl. As the country's national anthem, it is one of the state symbols of Slovenia.

History

Background

Historically, the national anthem from 1860 until the beginning of the 1990s, was "Naprej, zastava slave", the first ever piece of Slovene literature to be translated into English.

Lyrics and music

The words of the current Slovene national anthem are all or part of "Zdravljica", written by the 19th-century Slovene poet France Prešeren for which music was written by the Slovene composer Stanko Premrl in 1905. Emphasising internationalism, it was defined in 1994 as the anthem with the Act on the national symbols of Slovenia. However, even before the breakup of Yugoslavia, the lyrics and music were together adopted as the regional anthem of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia on 27 September 1989. Therefore, it was the regional anthem of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia as a constituent republic of Yugoslavia from 8 March 1990 to 25 June 1991, as well.

Legal status

As a work of arts, published in the official journal Official Gazette, the text and melody of the seventh stanza of "Zdravljica" qualify as an official work and are per Article 9 of the Slovene Copyright and Related Rights Act not protected by the copyrights. Their usage is regulated by the Act Regulating the Coat-of-Arms, Flag and Anthem of the Republic of Slovenia and the Flag of the Slovene Nation, published in the Official Gazette in 1994. The official melody is written in B-flat major.

Lyrics

The following is the official lyrics

of the seventh stanza of Zdravljica:
Žive naj vsi narodi
Ki hrepene dočakat' dan
Da koder sonce hodi
Prepir iz sveta bo pregnan
Da rojak
Prost bo vsak
Ne vrag, le sosed bo mejak!

Official translation :
God's blessing on all nations
Who long and work for that bright day
When o'er earth's habitations
No war, no strife shall hold its sway
Who long to see
That all men free
No more shall foes, but neighbours be!

And a more literal translation:

May all peoples thrive

That yearn to see the day

When wheresoever the Sun walks,

strife shall be banished from the world.

When every kinsman
shall be free

And not a devil but a neighbor shall the adjoining-land's dweller be!^

, Brussels.