Zdravljica
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Zdravljica (A Toast) is a famous poem by France Prešeren written in 1844 and since 1991 it has been the Slovene national anthem. The most famous is its 7th verse which was set to the tune of a composer Stanko Premrl's choral composition of the same name:
| Prijatli! obrodile | The vintage, friends, is over, |
| so trte vince nam sladko, | And here sweet wine makes, once again, |
| ki nam oživlja žile, | Sad eyes and hearts recover |
| srce razjasni 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. |
| Komu narpred veselo | To whom with acclamation |
| zdravljico, bratje! čmo zapet'! | 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. |
| V sovražnike 'z oblakov | Let thunder out of heaven |
| rodu naj naš'ga treši grom | Strike down and smite our wanton foe! |
| prost, ko je bil očakov, | Now, as it once had thriven, |
| najprej naj bo Slovencov dom; | May our dear realm in freedom grow. |
| naj zdrobe | May fall the last |
| njih roke | Chains of the past |
| si spone, ki jih še teže! | Which bind us still and hold us fast! |
| Edinost, sreča, sprava | Let peace, glad conciliation, |
| k nam naj nazaj se vrnejo; | Come back to us throughout the land! |
| otrok, kar ima Slava, | Towards their destination |
| vsi naj si v roke sežejo | Let Slavs henceforth go hand-in-hand! |
| de oblast | Thus again |
| in z njo čast, | Will honour reign |
| ko pred, spet naša boste last! | To justice pledged in our domain. |
| Bog živi 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 maldens of such race. |
| naj sinov | Sons you'll bear, |
| zarod nov | Who will dare |
| iz vas bo strah sovražnikov! | Defy our foe no matter where. |
| Mladenči, zdaj se pije | Our hope now, our to-morrow - |
| zdravljica vaše, 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 zdaj vas | With us indeed |
| kakor nas, | You're called to heed |
| jo sŕčno branit kliče čas! | Its summons in this hour of need. |
| Žive naj vsi narodi | God's blessing on all nations, |
| ki hrepene dočakat' dan, | Who long and work for that bright day, |
| da koder sonce hodi, | When o'er earth's habitations |
| prepir iz sveta 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! |
| Nazadnje še, prijatlji, | At last to our reunion - |
| kozarce zase vzdignimo, | To us the toast! Let it resound, |
| ki smo zato se zbratli, | Since in this gay communion |
| ker dobro v srcu mislimo; | By thoughts of brotherhood we're bound |
| dokaj dni | May joyful cheer |
| naj živi | Ne'er disappear |
| vsak, kar nas dobrih je ljudi! | From all good hearts now gathered here. |
Zdravljica from censored Prešeren's handwritting
In 1844 censorship did not allow that the poem be printed. Later Prešeren himself was intended to include it to his Poezije (The Poetries). He also omitted the third strophe »V sovražnike 'z oblakov / rodu naj naš'ga treši grom« so he could save the rest. But he was wrong as censorship in a fourth strophe »Edinost, sreča, sprava / k nam naj nazaj se vrnejo« anticipated an overall Slavic mentality and did not alowed it. Prešeren believed that poem would be mutilated so he did not inlude it to Poezije. Zdravljica was printed after the March revolution April 26 1848, when censorship was abolished in Novice (The News).
External links:
- Zdravjica at preseren.net: http://www.preseren.net/slo/3_poezije/13_zdravljica.asp
- Zdravljica as a Slovene national anthem: http://www.uvi.si/eng/slovenia/insignia/anthem/
- Zdravljica in English: http://www.uvi.si/eng/slovenia/insignia/anthem/text/