The Greek National Anthem is one of the most recognizable anywhere in the world and it is the longest of any such song, written by the countrys National Poet, Dionysios Solomos. Credit: Public Domain
The Greek National Anthem is one of the most recognizable anywhere in the world and it is the longest of any such song, written by the countrys National Poet, Dionysios Solomos.
Its title is (Hymn to Liberty). It was written as a 158-stanza poem in 1823 on the Greek island of Zakynthos and printed one year later in Missolonghi.
The Solomos poem was inspired by the brave men who fought in the Greek War of Independence and Greeces incredibly long, rich history.
In 1865, the King of Greece, George I, visited Corfu and heard the islands philharmonic band performing the first three stanzas, which had been set to music by the operatic composer Nikolaos Mantzaros.
The King was so impressed that he ordered the bands music to be played during official events; thus the Hymn to Liberty instantly became the National Anthem of Greece.
Beginning in 1966, it became the National Anthem of Cyprus as well, after a decision by its Council of Minsters.
The Hymn to Liberty deals with several themes from the War of Independence others from the long and illustrious span of Greek history.
The poet presents the goddess of liberty and recalls the past martyrdoms that occurred during the history of the country and the revolt of its slaves under foreign rule as well as the joys of being a Hellene.
Solomos also speaks of the the disdain European rulers had for Greece and the contemptuous indifference of the Greeks for their pro-Ottoman stance.
In stanzas 35-74 of the Greek National Anthem, the poet describes the battle and the fall of Tripolitsa, the Turkish capital and stronghold of the Peloponnese.
Stanzas 75-87 speak of the Battle of Corinth and the destruction of the mighty army ofDrama Ali in Dervenakia.
The first siege of Missolonghi in 1822 and the drowning of the Ottomans in the river Acheloos are described in stanzas 88-122 of the song.
The courageous naval engagements of the War, mainly the burning of the Turkish flagship near Tenedos, are described in stanzas 123-138, as well as the Turks barbarichanging of Gregory, the Patriarch of Constantinople.
In the Epilogue (139-158) of the Greek National Anthem, the poet advises the former fighters to rid themselves of their harmful discord and petty differences and urges the powerful of Europe to allow Greece to be fully liberated.
1. I do know thee by the direfulcutting edge of thy keen swordI do know thine eye stare irefulcounting fast the lands restored
2. Thou camest forth off the departedGreeks who died and lived for theeand like erstwhile stoutheartedHail oh hail thee Liberty
3. There inside thou wert stayingreticent, embittered toofor a summon thou wert prayingtelling thee come back anew
4.That good day was always tarryingevery thing was mute aroundfor oppression was scaringand by slavry they were bound
5. Woe is thee! Thine only solacesitting lone telling with sighglories past when thou wert awelessand recounting them to cry
6. And awaiting the invitingliberal strong voice to darethine one hand the other smitingout of sorrow and despair
7. saying will, ah! will I neverraise my head from these lorn wilds?From above replies as everwails, chains, fetters of all kinds
8. Then thine eyes thoudst lift up weeping,hazy, full of tears and red,on thy dress unendly drippinggobs of Greek blood vainly shed
9. With thy clothes blood-soaked and reekingI would thou kepst on sneaking outto the foreign countries seekingfurther hands both strong and stout
10. All alone thou hadst departedand thou camest back all alonefor the gates will not get partedwhen tis need whos knocking on
11. Others on thy bosom cryingbut they offered no respite,others help with words supplyingbut were fooling thee on spite
12. Others, woe! by thine misfortunewere delighted and would bray,go away to join thine orphans,go the obdurate would say
13. Now thy feet homewards toiland they overswiftly rollon the rock or on the soilwhich thy glory do recall
14. Overlowly it is bowingtriple-wretched thy sad head,beggar. door to door whos goingand their life a weight too dead
15. Aye, but now theyre counterfiringall thy seed with urge and mirth,and theyre seeking firm, untiringeither victory or death
16. Thou camest forth off the departedGreeks who died and lived for theeand like erstwhile stoutheartedHail oh hail thee Liberty
17. When the sky beheld thy gumption,who, for the oppressing brute,in thy motherland with kindnessnourished flowers both and fruit,
18. was relieved, and it startedan infernal blare to pour,and to thee response had dartedRigas battle crying roar
19. Each one of thy lands have called theewarmly greeting thee with wishand the mouths are shouting boldlywhat the heart wilt not dismiss
20. Yells that reached the stars in heavenfrom Ionian islands too,loads of raised hands keep on wavingshowing how their cheer was true
21 although chained and separatedeach one with a slick decreeand their forehead decoratedwith Deceitful Liberty
22. Heartily pleased and affectedwas the Washingtons free landand the chains had recollectedthat detained her on remand
23. From his castle he is roaringjust like greeting what is doneand his mane he shakes stormingthe Lion the Spaniard one
24. He was startled in his quartersEnglands furious beast who hathsent to the far Russian cornersloud the growling of his wrath;
25. with a posture clearly showinghow much muscle hide his arms,in Aegean waves hes throwingan inflamed stare that alarms
26. Through the clouds above he spots theetoo the Eagles eye while hiswings and claws are growing doughtyon Italian carcasses
27. and against thee he turns hostile,since forever hating thee,squawks and squawks the bloody foe whiletrying to impede thy spree.
28. Yet thou thinkest about nothingelse than where thou shouldst go first,thou repliest not, nor dost somethingfor all those who have thee cursed,
29. like tall mountain which is lettingthe brash filthy water flowto his feet and just there settingthe foul scum that soon will go,
30. which is letting the strong whirlwindhailstorm too and heavy rainto strike on with their harsh whippingits eternal peak in vain
31. Woe to him! Oh woe to him whofatelorn will be found abreastthy keen sword and hath a whim tostay and put it to the test
32. The foul monster is now thinkingthat hes missing his stray cuberst hes cringing then hes springingand hes craving human blood,
33. now hes running through all forestsmountains, fields, ravines and earth,where he stood or passed the harvestshorror, desolation, death.
34. Horror, death and desolationeverywhere thou hast passed toofor it brings thee indignationenmy sword unsheathed to view
35. Behold, the walls that stand tall yonder,Tripoli the loathsome pit,judgements both and terrors thundernow thou wishst to cast on it
36. Victories against the felonsfilled the eyes with grit and grin,blind to their inundant weaponsand to their war cheering din
37. Shaking fists at thee and grindingteeth they try to show their scads.Hearken thou not to the frightningmyriads, men and callow lads?
38. A few mouths and fewer eyeswill remain you open, shame,to bewail for the demiseof all lifes the woe shall claim!
39. They come forth and started clashingsparking battles lightning glutmuskets loading, firing, flashingsword blades glisten, thrash and cut
40. Whys the fight already ending?Whys there also scanty blood?I behold the foes ascendingto the castle swift they scud.
41. Count! Theyre numberless the cravenwho are running for their life,they prefer their backs shot gravenlest they stay and taste the knife
42. Stay locked in, well soon advance there!Wait until you sure attrite!Wait, the end is coming, answer,in the darkness of the night!
43. They responded and the battlestarts and sets the place afireridge to ridge the buzz and rattlesounding turbulent and dire
44. I can hear the muskets ploppingand the swords that clang beneathI can hear the axes choppingand the grinding of the teeth
45. Ah, what a night this was, itfills the intellect with dread!There was nother sleep nor pausingsave the bitter of the dead.
46. The time and the place of action,the ado, the screaming folk,the extreme cruelhearted passionmarking war, the rising smoke,
47. the loud blasts, the dark and hazysetting pierced by fiery bursts,closely representing Hadeseager to receive the curs,
48. waiting for them. Countless shadowsshowing, naked on their feet,daughters, elders, laddies, widows,babies hooked still to the teat.
49. All pitch-black tis now swarmingblack the sepulchred sad crowdlike an acrid pall of mourningon the deathbed, a dark cloud
50. Lashings, lashings massed unalteredsprouting from the soils backstage,all of them injustly slaughteredby the rampant turkish rage
51. Many as the ears cradledupon harvesting the fields,almost all these parts were tangledcovered with these tragic yields
52. Here and there throughout the bustlehazy starlight stirred the flockas they headed to the castlein a deathlike silent walk
53. Likewise at the plains below indensely vegetated woods,each time the half moon is throwinglittle pale light that dilutes
54. in the winds, that softly rustlethrough packed branches stripped of leaves,the dim spots quake and jostlewhere the offshoots touch their peers.
55. With their eyes they keep on glancinground to find the pools of blood,in the blood theyre wildly dancing,their hoarse growlings turn to flood
56. and cavorting they are bunchinground the Greek ferocious bandsand the valiant breasts are touchingwith their lifeless wintry hands
57, This benumbing touch is goingdeep inside the inner partsletting out the grief theyre stowingleaving merciless the hearts
58. Thus tis horrifyingly growingthis pernicious fighting dance,like a squall unruly blowingin the lonely seas expanse
59. High and low theyre striking madly,each and every hit they landtis a hit severe and deadly,without need for second hand
60. Every body sweating, churningas if from within its soul,sick of hatred fiercely burning,strives by any means to soar
61. The beats of the heart are thwackingin their breasts slow and miffedand their arms whenever smackingare two or more times as swift
62. For all them there is no heaven,nor high sea, nor even ground,for the upper world and netherconcentrate in their surround
63. The excitement and the furyare so stark, as both sides striveresolute, that makest thee worryno man will be left alive
64. Behold the misry cumulatedin these hands that rip life threads!On the earth fall mutilatednumerous legs, arms and heads,
65. scabbards, swords and baldrics,sculls severed or slit in two,brains lay strewn all over watry.steaming guts the bodies spew.
66. No one would pay even noticeto the slaughter just a bit,they all forge ahead atrocious.Stop! Enough! When will you quit?
67. No man deigns to leave as optionsave for when he shall lay done.They dont feel at all exhaustionas if they have just begun
68. Now the curs are getting fewerAllah they are yelling loudbut the Christian lips are truerfire fire is their shout
69. Lionhearted they are batteringfoes hard, screaming always firethe flagitious thugs are scatteringscreeching Allah they retire
70. Fright and dust clouds in all quarterspainful sighs, the helpless cry,all around faint moans and horrorsand all over people die
71. Oh how many! Yet the lead shotdoesnt echo in their ears.all now laying where the dead rotwhen the fourth dawn sheds its tears
72. River the blood of the slaughteredturning the ravine to slue,and the innocent grass wateredwith mens blood instead of dew
73. New dawns breeze, how effervescent,thou no longer blowst acrossto the foul-believers crescentblow thou, blow thou to the Cross!
74. Thou camest forth off the departedGreeks who died and lived for theeand like erstwhile stoutheartedHail oh hail thee Liberty
75. There behold the fields of Corinth,but suns light does not get throughon the planetrees tisnt pouringor on vineyards, waters too
76. In the easeful aether, startling,not a carefree sound would fleet,not a fifes jovial warbling,not a lamb would only bleat.
77. Thousands of soldiers rushinglike the waves unto the shore,but thy stalwart braves are dashing,they keep count not anymore
78. Oh three hundred Spartans raise yeon this land return anewand your children proudly gaze yehow much they resemble you!
79. Oer your braves the lot are shaken,by their blinded stride apacebarred in Corinth they were takento hide out and shun the chase
80. Sends the angel of destructionfamine and disease who takeshape as skeletons and action,walking side by side they rake,
81. lying on the grass and heavingthey were dying everywherethe forsaken wretched leavingsof disaster, flight, despair
82. Thou divine and unfading,capable of any deed,Liberty, now gory, aching,in the valley is thy tread.
83. In the shadow strung togetherI see them too a row of pearls,dance the virgin throng forever,hand in hand the Grecian girls,
84. choral their step, their voice bracing,eyes erotic full of flair,in the breeze divinely wavingcurls of black and auburn hair.
85. My soul rejoices with the savoury,in the breasts of every one,milk of freedom and of bravery,that will feed their unborn sun
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