Cretan Anthem

Κρητικός Ύμνος

English: Cretan Anthem
Kritikos Ymnos
National anthem of Cretan State
Lyrics	Ioannis Polemis
Music	Dionysios Davrangas
Adopted	1898
Relinquished	1908

The Cretan Anthem (Greek: Κρητικός Ύμνος, Kritikos Ymnos), was the national anthem of the Cretan State, adopted in 1898. It was sung to the tune of the Greek national anthem, originally composed by Nikolaos Mantzaros and adapted by Dionysios Davrangas, with new words by the poet Ioannis Polemis, celebrating Crete's bloody struggles for freedom from the Ottoman Empire.

The anthem never gained much popularity, since the Cretans viewed the Cretan State as a temporary measure; the Greek national anthem was the de facto unofficial anthem, and after Crete unilaterally declared its union with the Kingdom of Greece in 1908 (not formally recognized until 1913, after the Balkan Wars), the Greek national anthem was used officially as well.

Lyrics

Μεσ’ το αίμα βουτημένη,

με πληγαίς νωπαίς ακόμα,

απ΄ της Κρήτης τ’ άγιο χώμα,

επεταχθ’ η Λευθεριά•

κι’ αγκαλιάζοντας τη Δόξα

τη δαφνοστεφανωμένη

παίρνει δρόμους κι ανασταίνει

πολιτείαις και χωριά.

Χαιρετούν τον ερχομό της

βροντερόφωνα ντουφέκια,

κι’ αστραπαίς κι’ αστροπελέκια

χύνουν λάμψι περισσή•

και φωνή παλληκαρίσια

απ’ την Ίδη κατεβαίνει

Χαίρε, Κρήτη ανδρειωμένη,

Χαιρ’ ελεύθερο νησί.

External sources

• Lyrics (Greek)