Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm

Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm
English: 'My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy'[1]
Sheet music

National anthem of Estonia
LyricsJohann Voldemar Jannsen, 1869 (1869)
MusicFredrik Pacius, 1848 (1848)
Adopted1920 (1920)
ReadoptedMay 1990 (1990-05)
RelinquishedJune 1940 (1940-06)
Preceded byAnthem of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
Audio sample
U.S. Navy Band instrumental version (one verse)

"Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm"[a] is the national anthem of Estonia, originally adopted in 1920.[1]

The lyrics were written by Johann Voldemar Jannsen and are set to a melody composed in 1848 by Fredrik Pacius, which is also that of the Finnish national anthem "Maamme", then the unofficial anthem of the Grand Duchy of Finland.[2] The only differences between the two anthems are their key signature and the repetition of the last four lines of each verse in the Finnish anthem. The melody is also used as an ethnic anthem of the Livonian people, titled "Min izāmō".

History

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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 Awakening.[2]

"Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm" was officially adopted as the national anthem of Estonia in 1920, after the Estonian War of Independence.[3]

In 1944, the Soviet Union occupied Estonia, and "Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm" was subsequently banned by the Soviet government.[2] The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic had its own official regional anthem. However, the Estonians could often hear their former national anthem, 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 the conclusion of its broadcast every night.[2][4]

Lyrics

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Estonian original[5][6] IPA transcription[b]

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!

[mu ˈi.sɑ.mɑː mu ɤnʲ.nʲ‿jɑ rɤːm ǀ]
[kui̯ ˈkɑu̯.nʲis ˈo.let sɑ ǁ]
[ei̯ ˈlei̯.ɑ ˈmi.nɑ ˈiː.ɑl teɑ̯l]
[seː ˈsuː.re ˈlɑi̯.ɑ ˈil.mɑ peɑ̯l ǀ]
[mis mul nʲiː ˈɑr.mɑs ˈo.leks kɑ ǀ]
[kui̯ sɑː mu ˈi.sɑ.mɑː ǁ]

[sɑ ˈo.let mint ju ˈsynʲ.nʲit̚.tɑnt]
[jɑ ˈy.les ˈkɑs.ʋɑt̚.tɑnt ǁ]
[sʲint ˈtæ.nɑn ˈmi.nɑ ˈɑ.lɑt̚ʲ.tʲi]
[jɑ jæːn sulʲ ˈtruː.iks ˈsur.mɑ.nʲi ǀ]
[mul ˈkɤi̯.ke ˈɑrm.sɑm ˈo.let sɑ ǀ]
[mu ˈkɑlʲ.lʲis ˈi.sɑ.mɑː ǁ]

[su ˈy.le ˈju.mɑl ˈʋɑl.ʋɑk̚.ku]
[mu ˈɑr.mɑs ˈi.sɑ.mɑː ǁ]
[tɑ ˈol.ku ˈsʲi.nu ˈkɑi̯t.se.jɑ]
[jɑ ˈʋɤt.ku ˈroh.kest ˈɤnʲ.nʲis.tɑ ǀ]
[mis ˈiː.ɑl ˈet̚ˑ.te ˈʋɤt̚.tɑt sɑ ǀ]
[mu ˈkɑlʲ.lʲis ˈi.sɑ.mɑː ǁ]

Poetic English translation[1] Literal English translation[7]

My native land, my joy – delight,
How fair thou art – how bright!
For nowhere in the world around
Can ever such a place be found
So well belov'd, from sense profound,
My native country dear!

My tiny crib stood on thy soil,
Whose blessings eased my toil.
May my last breath be thanks to thee,
For true to death I'll ever be,
O worthy, most belov'd and fine,
Thou, dearest country mine!

May God in Heaven thee defend,
My own beloved land!
May He be guard, may He be shield,
For ever bless and guardian wield
Protection for all deeds of thine,
My own, my dearest land!

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!

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Estonian pronunciation: [mu ˈisɑmɑː mu ˈɤnʲː ˈrɤːm]; lit. "My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy"
  2. ^ See Help:IPA/Estonian and Estonian phonology.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "National anthem of the Republic of Estonia". Republic of Estonia. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  2. ^ a b c d Miljan, Toivo (2015-05-21). Historical Dictionary of Estonia. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 314. ISBN 978-0-8108-7513-5.
  3. ^ Central Intelligence Agency (2015-01-01). The World Factbook. Masterlab. p. 118. ISBN 978-83-7991-213-1.
  4. ^ Cloet, Pierre-Robert; Legué, Bénédicte; Martel, Kerstin (December 2013). "United in diversity: Anthems and Flags of the European Union" (PDF). Jacques Delors Institute. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  5. ^ "Riiklikud sümbolid". 13 April 2009. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009.
  6. ^ "The President of the Republic of Estonia: National Symbols". 14 January 2006. Archived from the original on 14 January 2006.
  7. ^ "Estonia – nationalanthems.info". Retrieved 2022-12-22.
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