Shche ne vmerla Ukrayina
"Shche ne Vmerla Ukrayiny ni Slava, ni volya", also known by its official title of "State Anthem of Ukraine" or by its shortened form "Shche ne vmerla Ukrayina", is the national anthem of Ukraine. Its music was officially adopted by Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada on 15 January 1992. The official lyrics were adopted on 6 March 2003 by the Law on the Anthem of Ukraine.
In the first half of the 20th century, during unsuccessful attempts to gain independence and create a state from the territories of the Russian Empire, Poland, and Austria-Hungary, the song was the national anthem of the Ukrainian People's Republic, West Ukrainian People's Republic, and Carpatho-Ukraine, and was once again adopted by independent Ukraine following its secession from the Soviet Union. Before its re-adaptation, a competition for a national anthem among three patriotic songs took place with one of the other songs being "Za Ukrajinu" by Mykola Voronyi.
The lyrics constitute a slightly modified original first stanza of the patriotic poem written in 1862 by Pavlo Chubynsky, a prominent ethnographer from the region of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. In 1863, Mykhailo Verbytsky, a western Ukrainian composer and Greek-Catholic priest composed music to accompany Chubynsky's text. The first choral performance of the piece was at the Ukraine Theatre in Lviv, in 1864.
History
Creation of the Ukrainian national anthem started in the autumn of 1862 during one of Pavlo Chubynsky's parties. Some researchers believe that the Polish national song "Poland Is Not Yet Lost", which later became the national anthem of Poland but dating back to 1797 and the Polish Legions, also had an influence on Chubynsky's lyrics. At the time, the Polish national song was very popular among East European nations of the former Commonwealth of Poland, that were fighting for their independence: a few months after Chubynsky had written his lyrics, the January Uprising began. Likewise influenced by the Polish national song, Slovak poet Samo Tomášik wrote the song "Hey, Slavs", which later became Yugoslavia's anthem in 1944–2003.The widespread use of Chubynsky's lyrics among Ukrainophiles was very rapid. On October 20 of the same year that Chubynsky wrote the lyrics, the head gendarm Prince Vasily Dolgorukov gave an order to banish Chubynsky for the "dangerous influence on the minds of commoners" and sent him in exile to Arkhangelsk Governorate.
Chubynsky's poem was first officially published in 1863 when it appeared in the fourth issue of Lviv's journal Meta. Soon after the poem became popular in the territories corresponding to today's Western Ukraine, it was noticed by the Ukrainian clergy. Inspired by Pavlo Chubynsky's poem, one of them, Fr. Mykhailo Verbytsky of the Greek-Catholic Church, a prominent Ukrainian composer of his times, decided to write music for it. In 1865 Chubynsky's poem was first published together with Verbytsky's sheet music. The first choral performance of the piece was in 1864 at the Ukraine Theatre in Lviv.
The first recording of this anthem in Ukrainian was released on a vinyl record by Columbia Phonograph Company during World War I in 1916. As a folk song it was performed by a Ukrainian emigrant from Lviv and New York resident Mychajlo Zazulak in 1915.
However, Chubynsky's poem wasn't used as a state anthem until 1917, when it was adopted by the Ukrainian Republic. Still, even between 1917 and 1921, this anthem was not legislatively adopted as an exclusive state anthem as other anthems were also used at the time.
During the period between 1918 and 1919, Chubynsky's poem was also used as a state anthem of the short-lived West Ukrainian People's Republic.
In 1939, "Szcze ne wmerła Ukrajina" was adopted as the official state anthem of Carpatho-Ukraine.
Soviet times
When the Ukrainian SSR signed the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR with the Russian SFSR, Transcaucasian SFSR and Byelorussian SSR in 1922, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was formed, the anthem was immediately banned by the Soviet regime. At the dawn of the Soviet Union, when it was decided that each separate Soviet republic could have its own anthem, the poem Shche ne vmerla Ukrayina was rejected in order to suppress separatism amongst Ukrainians. Soviet rulers wanted a text that would state that Ukraine is a country inside the USSR which is "equal among equals, free among the free" and it necessarily had to mention the communist party that lead Ukraine towards communism. This task was accomplished by Pavlo Tychyna, whose version of "Anthem of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic" was the official anthem of the Ukrainian SSR from 1949 to 1991. Composer Anton Lebedynez' wrote the music for it. This anthem never became popular among Ukrainians and in Soviet times, the anthem of the USSR was played during nearly all official events in Ukraine.Since independence
On 15 January 1992, the music for the State Anthem of Ukraine was adopted by Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, and was later instituted in the Ukrainian constitution. However, the lyrics for the anthem were not officially adopted until 6 March 2003, when the Verkhovna Rada passed a law on the state anthem of Ukraine, proposed by then president Leonid Kuchma. The law proposed Mykhailo Verbytsky's music and Pavlo Chubynsky's first verse and refrain of his poem "Šče ne vmerla Ukrajina". However, the first stanza of the anthem was to be changed from "Shche ne vmerla Ukrayina, ni slava ni volya" to "Shche ne vmerla Ukrayiny, i slava i volya".The law was passed with an overwhelming majority of 334 votes out of 450, with only 46 MPs opposing. Only the members of Socialist Party of Ukraine and Communist Party of Ukraine refrained from the voting. The passing of this law finalised Article 20 of the Constitution of Ukraine. The national anthem that up until then had only officially consisted of Mykhailo Verbytsky's music, would henceforth also include the modified lyrics of Pavlo Chubynsky.
The popularity of the Ukrainian anthem has become particularly high in the wake of the Orange Revolution protests of 2004 and Euromaidan of 2013. Ukrainian composer Valentyn Sylvestrov, who participated in Ukrainian protests in Kyiv, characterised the Ukrainian anthem thus:
In August 2014, Eurovision singer Zlata Ognevich released her own version of "Šče ne vmerla Ukrajina". In May 2016, soldiers from the Band of the 44th Artillery Brigade based in Ternopil performed "Shche ne vmerla Ukraina" from nearly 300 metres underground, breaking a world record.
Euromaidan
During the Euromaidan protests, the anthem of Ukraine became a revolutionary anthem for the protesters. In the early weeks of the protests, protesters would sing the national anthem once an hour, led by singer Ruslana.On 25 March 2014, Mykyta Rubchenko of Kharkiv created an instrumental rock version of the anthem.
Lyrics
Šče ne vmerla Ukrajiny, ni slava ni voľa was sung as the de facto national anthem at the inauguration of the first President Leonid Kravchuk on 5 December 1991, but it was not until 6 March 2003 that Chubynsky's poem officially became a part of Ukrainian national anthem.On 6 March 2003, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted anthem's official lyrics, opting to use only the first verse and chorus from Chubynsky's poem, while slightly modifying its first stanza. Instead of stating "Ukraine has not yet died, neither her glory, nor her freedom", the concept of Ukraine perishing as a nation has been removed: the opening line now states "Ukraine's glory has not yet died, nor her freedom".
Article 20 of the Constitution of Ukraine designates Verbytsky's music for the national anthem:
Official lyrics
Chubynsky's original lyrics
The first stanza of Chubynsky's original poem is somewhat similar to the first stanza of national anthems of Poland, Yugoslavia, and Israel.Ukrainian original
і слава, і воля!
Ще нам браття-Українці,
Усміхнеться доля!
Згинуть наші вороженьки,
Як роса на сонці;
Запануємъ, браття й ми
У своїй сторонці.
Наливайко, Залізнякъ
И Тарас Трясило
Кличуть насъ изъ-за могилъ
На святеє діло.
Изгадаймо славну смерть
Лицарства-козацтва,
Щобъ не втратить марне намъ
Своєго юнацтва.
Ой Богдане, Богдане
Славний нашъ гетьмане!
На-що віддавъ Україну
Москалям поганимъ?!
Щобъ вернути іі честь,
Ляжемъ головами,
Назовемся України
Вірними синами!
Наші браття Славяне
Вже за зброю взялись;
Не діжде ніхто, щобъ ми
По-заду зістались.
Поєднаймось разомъ всі,
Братчики-Славяне:
Нехай гинуть вороги,
Най воля настане!
Abecadło
i sława, i wola
Szcze nam, brattia-Ukrajinci,
Usmichnet́sia dola!
Zhynut́ naši worożeńky,
Jak rosa na sonci;
Zapanujem, brattia j my
U swojij storonci.
Naływajko, Zalizniak
Y Taras Triasyło
Kłyčutj nas yz-za mohył
Na swiateje diło
Yzhadajmo sławnu smert́
Łycarctwa-kozactwa,
Szczob ne wtratyt́ marne nam
Swojeho junactwa.
Oj Bohdane, Bohdane
Sławnyj nasz het́mane!
Na-szczo widdaw Ukrajinu
Moskalam pohanym?!
Szczob wernuty ii czest́
Lażem hołowamy
Nazowemsia Ukrajiny
Wirnymy synamy!
Naszi brattia Sławiane
Wże za zbroju vziałyś;
Ne diżde nichto, szczob my
Po-zadu zistałyś.
Pojednajmoś razom wsi,
Bratczyky-Sławiane:
Nechaj hynut́ worohy,
Naj vola nastane!
English translation
Nor her glory and freedom!
Still upon us, young brethren,
Fate shall smile!
Our enemies shall vanish
Like dew in the sun;
We too shall rule
In our beloved country.
Nalyvaiko, Zalizniak
And Taras Triasylo
Call us from beyond the grave
To the holy battle.
Recall the famous death of
Chivalrous Cossacks
Not to lose vainly
Our youth.
Oh Bohdan, Bohdan
Our great hetman
What for did you give Ukraine
To wretched muscovites?!
To return her honor,
We lay our heads
We shall call ourselves Ukraine's
Faithful sons!
Our Slavic brothers
Already took up arms
No one shall see
That we should stay behind.
Unite together all,
Brothers Slavs:
So that enemies perish,
And freedom comes!
Draft lyrics
Ukrainian original
Ще нам, браття-українці, усміхнеться доля.
Згинуть наші вороженьки, як роса на сонці,
Запануєм і ми, браття, у своїй сторонці.
Станем браття, в бій кривавий, від Сяну до Дону
В ріднім краю панувати не дамо нікому.
Чорне море ще всміхнеться, дід Дніпро зрадіє,
Ще на нашій Україні доленька наспіє.
А завзяття, праця щира свого ще докаже,
Ще ся волі в Україні піснь гучна розляже.
За Карпати відіб'ється, згомонить степами,
України слава стане поміж народами.
Romanization
Šče nam, brattja ukrajinci, usmichnetjsja dolja.
Zhynutj naši voroženjky, jak rosa na sonci,
Zapanujem j my, brattja, u svojij storonci.
Stanem brattja, v bij kryvavyj, vid Sjanu do Donu
V ridnim kraju panuvaty ne damo nikomu.
Čorne more šče vsmichnetjsja, did Dnipro zradije,
Šče u našij Ukrajini dolenjka naspije.
A zavzjattja pracja ščyra svoho šče dokaže,
Šče sja voli v Ukrajini pisnj hučna rozljaže.
Za Karpaty vidib’jetjsja zhomonytj stepamy,
Ukrajiny slava stane pomiž narodamy.
English translation
Upon us, fellow Ukrainians, fate shall smile once more.
Our enemies will vanish, like the dew in the sun,
And we too shall rule, brothers, in a free land of our own.
We'll stand, brothers, in bloody battle, from the Syan to the Don,
We will not allow others to rule in our motherland.
The Black Sea will smile and grandfather Dnipro will rejoice,
For in our own Ukraine fortune shall shine again.
Our persistence and our sincere toils will be rewarded,
And freedom's song will throughout all of Ukraine resound.
Echoing off the Carpathians, and across the steppes rumbling,
Ukraine's fame and glory will be known among all nations.