Hej Sloveni - Definition and Overview

Hej, Sloveni (also spelled Hej, Slaveni and Hej, Slovani, meaning "Hey, Slavs") has been the national anthem of Yugoslavia between 1945 and ca. 1992 when versions of lyrics in Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian and Macedonian were used.

It was used as the anthem of Serbia and Montenegro until the second half of 2004, with lyrics by Samuel Tomasik in Serbian.

History

The song dates back to the mid-19th century, when it was composed as an anthem for the Slavonic movement. It has the same basic melody as Mazurek Dąbrowskiego by Michal Kleofas Oginski, the national anthem of Poland.

Between World War I and World War II, the anthem of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929) consisted of a combination of Serbian, Croatian and Slovenian traditional anthems, starting with a few measures from the Serbian anthem Bože pravde, continuing with a few lines from the Croatian anthem Lijepa naša, followed by a few bars from a former anthem of Slovenia Naprej zastava slave and winding up with some lines from the Serbian anthem again. After the liberation in 1945, the new federation adopted the song "Hej Sloveni".

Even though the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ceased to exist around 1991 when only Serbia and Montenegro remained in the federation, "Hej Sloveni" remained the state anthem of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and is set to be replaced as soon as Serbia and Montenegro agree on a common anthem acceptable to both.

Should the referendum cause for the union to remain in place, a combination of the two countries' anthems, is not unlikely to take shape as the new anthem, similar to what was done before Communism. The songs are "Bože pravde" for Serbia, and "Oj, svijetla majska zoro" for Montenegro.

Lyrics

Around the year 1839, a young Slovak student, Samo Tomasik, went to Prague to study. One day, returning to his lodging house discouraged and unhappy, he found consolation in writing the stirring and inspiring "Hej, Slovaci". Its high merit was not recognized till some years later, when it was set to music. · It soon gained popularity among the Slovaks. For generations, its great appeal to the emotions and power to awaken patriotic response caused anxiety to the rulers, not only of the Slovaks, but of other Slavs as well. The Magyars prohibited its singing for many years. In the course of time, it became the Slovak national anthem during the 6-year duration of the wartime Slovak Republic (1939-45). Now it should more properly be called the anthem of the Slovak people. (The national anthem of the Slovak Republic since January 1 1993 is Nad Tatrou sa blyska.)

The words of this Slovak epic song written over a hundred and sixty years ago, (in Slovak) follow:

Hej, Slováci, este nasa slovenská rec zije, Dokial' nase verné srdce za nás narod bije. Zije, zije, duch slovenský, bude zit' na veky, Hrom a peklo, márne vase proti nám su vzteky!

Jazyka dar sveril nam Boh, Boh nás hromovládny, Nesmie nám ho teda vyrvat' na tom svete ziadny; I nechze je kol'ko l'udí, tol'ko certov v svete; Boh je s nami: kto proti nám, toho parom zmetie.

I nechze sa aj nad nami hrozná búra vznesie, Skala puká, dub sa láme a zem nech sa trasie; My stojíme stále pevne, ako múry hradné Cierna zem pohltni toho, kto odstúpi zradne!

Its brave defiance and military spirit, though somewhat lost in translation, may yet be felt in the following translation by Dr. Pisek:

Ho, ye Slovaks! our beloved language still surviveth; While the faithful heart within us for our nation striveth; Yes, the Slovak spirit liveth; it will live forever Hell and thunder, 'gainst us raging, vain is your endeavor.

God to us our tongue entrusted, God, who sways the thunder; Who on earth then shall presume this gift from us to sunder! Though the earth were filled with demons, our rights assailing, We defy them. God is with us, His strong arm prevailing.

Though about us storms are raging, bringing devastation, Rocks disrupting, oaks uprooting, shaking earth's foundation, Yet we stand like castle walls, our vested rights asserting; May the earth engulf the traitor from our ranks deserting.