Oj, svijetla majska zoro
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Oj, svijetla majska zoro ("Oh, bright dawn of May") is the official state anthem of Montenegro. Before becoming the anthem, it was a popular folk song of Montenegrins, with many variations. The anthem has been criticized on the basis that its lyrics were altered by Sekula Drljević, the former Fascist President of the Axis puppet state of Montenegro during World War II, who held the distinction of being deposed within 24 hours of his appointment.
Prior to it, in late 19th-early 20th century, Montenegro had two hymns: official Ubavoj nam Crnoj Gori (To Our Beautiful Montenegro) and popular Onamo, 'namo (There, over There).
Contents |
[edit] Lyrics
| Serbian - Latin | Serbian - Cyrillic | English |
|---|---|---|
|
Oj svijetla majska zoro Volimo vas, brda tvrda, Dok lovćenskoj našoj misli Rijeka će naših vala, |
Ој свијетла мајска зоро Волимо вас, брда тврда, Док ловћенској нашој мисли Ријека ће наших вала, |
O, bright dawn of May We love you, the rocky hills While our unity gives wings A river of our waves, |
[edit] Really sung version
Although those are the official lyrics, a lot of verses are repeated in order to follow the rhythmic composition. To sing the anthem properly, one must follow the text like this :
| Serbian - Latin | Serbian - Cyrillic |
|---|---|
|
1. Sinovi smo tvog stijenja Volimo vas, brda tvrda, Majko naša Crna Goro 2. Dok lovćenskoj našoj misli Rijeka će naših vala Glas nositi okeanu Da je vječna Crna Gora |
1. Синови смо твог стијења Волимо вас, брда тврда Мајко наша Црна Горо 2. Док ловћенској нашој мисли Ријека ће наших вала Глас носити океану Да је вјечна Црна Гора |
[edit] History
[edit] Original lyrics
These are the oldest known lyrics of the song, from 1863:
| Serbian - Cyrillic | Serbian - Latin | English |
|---|---|---|
|
Ој јунаштва свјетла зоро, Једина си за слободу |
Oj junaštva svijetla zoro, Jedina si za slobodu |
O, bright dawn of heroism, You are the only freedom |
[edit] World War II
Sekula Drljević published the altered lyrics, which he declared the official anthem of Montenegro in 1944, in Zagreb, in the so-called "Independent State of Croatia": "Eternal Our Montenegro" (Montenegrin Croatian: Vječna Naša Crna Goro) - notice the future, Croatian-style: "Bit će gorda, bit će slavna" instead of "Biće gorda, biće slavna".
| Serbian Croatian |
|---|
|
Vječna naša Crna Goro, Volimo vas, brda tvrda, Lovćen nam je oltar sveti, Otkada je Badnje Veče Dok lovćenskoj našoj misli Slobode će čuvar biti Rijeka će naših vala, |
[edit] Popular Song
The anthem remained ever since as a popular song of the Serbian Orthodox Church as "Oh, bright dawn of May" (Serbian: Ој, свијетла мајска зоро)
| Serbian |
|---|
|
Ој свијетла мајска зоро, Ловћен нам је олтар свети, Ловћен красе Петровићи Дурмиторе је л' ти жао |
[edit] Serbia-Montenegro anthem
The anthem was combined in 2004 with the Serbian anthem Bože pravde ("O, Godly Justice") to create a hybrid as a possible new anthem of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro:
| Serbian - Latin | Serbian - Cyrillic |
|---|---|
|
Bože pravde, ti što spase Oj, svijetla majska zoro, Moćnom rukom brani, vodi Dok lovćenskoj našoj misli |
Боже правде, ти што спасе Ој, свијетла мајска зоро, Моћном руком брани, води Док ловћенској нашој мисли |
[edit] External links and references
- Official melodic version of the Montenegrin National Anthem (MP3)
- A site with the sheet music with lyrics (GIF)
- Zakon o državnim simbolima i danu državnosti Crne Gore (doc, in Serbian)
- Serb land of Montenegro: Ој јунаштва свијетла зоро
