Hey, Slavs is an anthemic song dedicated to Slavic peoples. Its first lyrics were written in 1834 under the title Hey, Slovaks (Hej, Slováci) by Samuel Tomá?ik and it has since served as the anthem of the Pan-Slavic movement, the anthem of the Sokol physical education and political movement, as well as the anthem of the World War II Slovak Republic, SFR Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro. The song is also considered to be the second, unofficial anthem of the Slovaks. Its melody is based on Mazurek D?browskiego, which has been also the anthem of Poland since 1926, but it is much slower and more accentuated.
Hej Slaveni, jo?te ?ivi Rije? (duh) na?ih djedova
Dok za narod srce bije Njihovih sinova
?ivi, ?ivi duh slavenski ?ivjet ?e vjekov'ma
Zalud prijeti ponor pakla Zalud vatra groma
Nek se sada i nad nama Burom sve raznese
Stijena puca, dub se lama Zemlja nek se trese
Mi stojimo postojano Kano klisurine
Proklet bio izdajica Svoje domovine!
Hey, Slavs, it still lives the word (spirit) of our grandfathers
As long as our faithful heart beats for our nation.
Lives, lives the Slavic spirit, It will live forever!
The thunder and the hell And your anger against us are useless.
Let all above us now be shattered by a storm.
Cliffs crack, oaks break, Let the earth quake.
We're standing firmly like mountains,
Damned be the traitor of his homeland!
Hey, Slovaks
The song was written by the Slovak priest, poet and historian Samuel Tomá?ik while he was visiting Prague in 1834. He was appalled that German was more commonly heard in the streets of Prague than Czech. He wrote in his diary:
"If mother Prague, the pearl of the Western Slav world, is to be lost in a German sea, what awaits my dear homeland, Slovakia, which looks to Prague for spiritual nourishment? Burdened by that thought, I remembered the old Polish songJeszcze Polska nie zgin??a, póki my ?yjemy ("Poland has not yet perished as long as we live."). That familiar melody caused my heart to erupt with defiant Hej, Slováci, e?te na?a slovenská re? ?ije ("Hey, Slovaks, our Slovak language still lives")... I ran to my room, lit a candle and wrote down three verses into my diary in pencil. The song was finished in a moment." (Diary of Samuel Tomá?ik, Sunday, 2 November 1834)
Pan-Slavic anthem
He soon altered the lyrics to include all Slavs and Hey, Slavs became a widely known rallying song for Slav nationalism and Pan-Slavic sentiment, especially in Slavic lands governed by Austria. A notable exception were Poles who enjoyed autonomy in Austro-Hungary and were supportive towards it[1]. It was printed in numerous magazines and calendars and sung at political gatherings, becoming an unofficial anthem of the Pan-Slavic movement.
Its popularity continued to increase when it was adopted as the official anthem of the Sokol ("falcon") physical education movement, which was based on Pan-Slavic ideals and active across Austria-Hungary. In 1905, the erection of a monument to the Slovenian poet France Pre?eren in Ljubljana was celebrated by a large gathering of people singing Hey, Slavs. During the First World War, the song was often used by Slav soldiers from the opposite sides of the frontline to communicate common nationalist sentiment and prevent bloodshed. Many Slovenian, Croatian and Serb members of Sokol conscripted into Austro-Hungarian army voluntarily surrendered to Serbian or Russian forces and often even changed sides. The song spread with them across the Balkans and Russia and remained popular in the inter-war period.
Tiso's Slovakia
In Slovakia, the song "Hey, Slovaks" has been considered the unofficial song of the Slovaks throughout its modern history, especially at times of revolutions. Although after the First World War the song Nad Tatrou sa blýska became the official Slovak anthem in Czechoslovakia and then again in 1993 in the independent Slovak Republic, the song is still considered a "second" anthem by many (usually more nationalist) people. Contrary to popular assumptions, however, it was not the official anthem of the wartime Slovak Republic (1939-1945), but it was greatly favored by the ruling party (Slovakia's official anthem remained Nad Tatrou sa blýska during that period).
Yugoslavia
First appearance of the Hey, Slavs on territory of Yugoslavia was in times of Illyrian movement. Dragutin Rakovac translated the song, and named it Hey, Illyrians (Serbian/Croatian: Hej, Iliri). Until Second World War, the translation did not suffer many changes, except Illyrians became Slavs.
In 1941 the Second World War engulfed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The Axis powers invaded in early April, and the Yugoslav royal army disintegrated and capitulated in just two and a half weeks. Since the old Yugoslav anthem included references to the king and kingdom, the anti-royalist Partisan resistance led by Josip Broz Tito and his Communist party decided to avoid it and opted for Hey, Slavs instead. The song was sung at both the first and the second session of AVNOJ, the legislative body of the resistance, and it gradually became to be generally considered the national anthem of the new Yugoslavia.
The old anthem was officially abandoned after the liberation in 1945, but no new anthem was officially adopted. There were several attempts to promote other, more specifically Yugoslav songs as the national anthem, but none gained much public support and Hey, Slavs continued to be used unofficially. The search for a better candidate was finally abandoned, and in 1977 Hey, Slavs became the official national anthem of Yugoslavia.
Serbia and Montenegro
After the break-up of Yugoslavia in 1991-92, when only Serbia and Montenegro remained in the federation, Hey, Slavs continued to be used as the anthem of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. That country was renamed to Serbia and Montenegro in 2003 and was expected to adopt a new anthem, but since no agreement over national symbols could be reached, Hey, Slavs remained the anthem of the state union.
Since Montenegro and Serbia became independent states in 2006, this issue is moot, and Hey, Slavs is not used as an official anthem by any sovereign country anymore.
Hej, Slováci, e?te na?a slovenská re? ?ije,
Dokia? na?e verné srdce za ná? národ bije.
?ije, ?ije, duch slovenský, bude ?i? na veky,
Hrom a peklo, márne va?e proti nám sú vzteky!
Jazyka dar sveril nám Boh, Boh ná? hromovládny,
Nesmie nám ho teda vyrva? na tom svete ?iadny;
I nech?e je ko?ko ?udí, to?ko ?ertov v svete;
Boh je s nami: kto proti nám, toho parom zmetie.
I nech?e sa aj nad nami hrozná búrka vznesie,
Skala puká, dub sa láme a zem nech sa trasie;
My stojíme stále pevne, ako múry hradné
?ierna zem pohltí toho, kto odstúpi zradne!
Hej Slované, je?t? na?e slovanská ?e? ?ije,
pokud na?e v?rné srdce pro ná? národ bije.
?ije, ?ije duch slovanský, bude ?ít na v?ky.
Hrom a peklo, marné va?e, proti nám jsou vzteky.
Jazyka dar sv??il nám B?h, B?h ná? hromovládný.
Nesmí nám ho tedy vyrvat na tom sv?t? ?ádný.
I necha? je tolik lidí, kolik ?ert? v sv?t?.
B?h je s námi, kdo proti nám, toho Perun smete.
I necha? se té? nad námi, hrozná bou?e vznese.
Skála puká, dub se láme. Zem? a? se t?ese !
My stojíme stále pevn?, jako st?ny hradné.
?erná zem pohltí toho, kdo odstoupí zrádn? ...
Hej S?owianie, jeszcze nasza S?owian mowa ?yje,
póki nasze wierne serce za nasz naród bije.
?yje, ?yje duch s?owia?ski, i ?y? b?dzie wiecznie,
Gromy, piek?o - z?o?ci waszej ujdziem my bezpiecznie!
wer.1:
Mow? nasz? ukochan?, Bóg nam zwierzy? w darze.
Wydrze? nam j? - nikt na ?wiecie tego nie doka?e. wer.2:
Dar j?zyka zwierzy? nam Bóg, Bóg nasz gromow?adny.
Nie ?mie go nam tedy wyrwa? na ?wiecie cz?ek ?adny.
wer.1:
Ilu ludzi, tylu wrogów, mo?em mie? na ?wiecie,
Bóg jest z nami, kto nam wrogiem, tego Bóg nasz zmiecie! wer.2:
Ilu ludzi, tylu wrogów, mo?em mie? na ?wiecie,
Bóg jest z nami, kto nam wrogiem, tego Piorun zmiecie!
I niechaj si? ponad nami gro?na burza wzniesie,
ska?a p?ka, d?b si? ?amie, ziemia niech si? trz?sie.
My stoimy stale, pewnie, jako mury grodu.
Czarna ziemio, poch?o? tego, kto zdrajc? narodu!
Hej Slovani, na?a re? slovanska ?ivo klije,
Dokler na?e verno srce za na? narod bije.
?ivi, ?ivi, duh slovanski, bodi ?iv na veke!
Grom in peklo, prazne va?e proti nam so steke.
Bog pa gromo-vladni nam podal je dar jezika,
Da pa nih?e na tem svetu, ni? nam ne podtika,
Bo naj kolikor ljudi, tolikanj ?ertov na sveti,
Bog je z nami, kdor prot' nam, ga ?e Belin podreti.
Naj tedaj nad nami stra?na burja naj se znese,
Skala poka, dob se lomi, zemlja naj se trese.
Bratje! Mi stojimo trdno, kakor zidi grada;
?rna zemlja naj pogrezne tega kdor odpada!
Hej Sloveni, jo?te ?ivi Duh (re?) na?ih dedova
Dok za narod srce bije Njihovih sinova
?ivi, ?ivi duh slovenski ?ive?e vekov'ma
Zalud preti ponor pakla Zalud vatra groma
Nek se sada i nad nama Burom sve raznese
Stena puca, dub se lama Zemlja nek se trese
Mi stojimo postojano Kano klisurine
Proklet bio izdajica Svoje domovine!
Hej Slaveni, jo?te ?ivi Rije? (duh) na?ih djedova
Dok za narod srce bije Njihovih sinova
?ivi, ?ivi duh slavenski ?ivjet ?e vjekov'ma
Zalud prijeti ponor pakla Zalud vatra groma
Nek se sada i nad nama Burom sve raznese
Stijena puca, dub se lama Zemlja nek se trese
Mi stojimo postojano Kano klisurine
Proklet bio izdajica Svoje domovine!
Hej Slovani, na?a re? slovanska ?ivo klije
dokler na?e verno srce za na? narod bije
?ivi, ?ivi, duh slovanski, bodi ?iv na veke,
grom in peklo, prazne va?e proti nam so steke
Naj tedaj nad nami stra?na burja se le znese,
skala poka, dob se lomi, zemlja naj se strese
Bratje, mi stojimo trdno kakor zidi grada,
?rna zemlja naj pogrezne tega, kdor odpada!
Hey, Slavs, our Slavic language is still alive
As long as our faithful heart beats for our nation.
Lives, lives the Slavic spirit, It will live forever!
The thunder and the hell And your anger against us are useless.
God to us our language 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.
Let all above us now be shattered by a storm.
Cliffs crack, oaks break, Let the earth quake.
We're standing firmly like mountains,
Damned be the traitor of his homeland!
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