Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm

Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm

English: My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy
The first poem and eventual Finnish national anthem, Maamme, of which Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm adapted the melody.
National anthem of  Estonia
Lyrics	Johann Voldemar Jannsen, 1869
Music	Fredrik (Friedrich) Pacius, 1848
Adopted	1920
Music sample
Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm (Instrumental)

Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm ("My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy"; Estonian pronunciation: [mu ˈisɑmɑː mu ˈɤnʲ jɑ ˈrɤːm]) was officially adopted as the national anthem (Estonian: (riigi)hümn) of the Republic of Estonia in 1920, and again in 1991.

The lyrics were written by Johann Voldemar Jannsen and are set to a melody composed in 1848 by Fredrik (Friedrich) Pacius which is also that of the national anthem of Finland: Maamme ("Vårt Land" in Swedish).^[1] It is also considered to be national anthem for Livonian people with text Min izāmō, min sindimō, My Fatherland, my native land.

History

The song was first presented to the public as a choral work in the Grand Song Festival of Estonia in 1869 and quickly became a symbol of the Estonian National Awakening.

Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm was officially adopted as the national anthem of Estonia in 1920, after the Estonian War of Independence. In contrast, Finland never passed a similar legislation about Maamme, although it is considered a de facto Finnish anthem.

During the Soviet occupation since 1944, Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm was banned. Between 1945 and 1990 the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic had a different anthem. Yet, the people of Estonia could often hear the melody, as Finland's state broadcaster Yleisradio, whose radio and television broadcasts were received in Northern Estonia, played an instrumental version of the Finnish national anthem, identical to this song (except for an additional repetition of the last verse in the Finnish version), at closedown every night.

Lyrics

Estonian	Literal English translation	Poetic English translation	Võro translation
Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm, kui kaunis oled sa! Ei leia mina iial teal see suure, laia ilma peal, mis mul nii armas oleks ka, kui sa, mu isamaa! Sa oled mind ju sünnitand ja üles kasvatand; sind tänan mina alati ja jään sull' truuiks surmani, mul kõige armsam oled sa, mu kallis isamaa! Su üle Jumal valvaku mu armas isamaa! Ta olgu sinu kaitseja ja võtku rohkest õnnista, mis iial ette võtad sa, mu kallis isamaa!	My fatherland, my joy and happiness, How beautiful you are! I shall not find such ever In this huge wide world Which would be so dear to me As you, my fatherland! You have given me birth And raised me up; I shall thank you always And remain faithful to you 'til death, To me most beloved are you, My precious fatherland! May God watch over you, My precious fatherland! Let Him[Note 1] be your defender And provide bountiful blessings For whatever you undertake, My precious fatherland!	My native land, my joy and delight, How fair thou art and bright! And nowhere in the world all round Can ever such a place be found So well beloved as I love thee, My native country dear! My little cradle stood on ground soil, Whose blessings ease my toil. With my last breath my thanks to thee, For true to death I'll ever be, O worthy, most beloved and fine, Thou, dearest country mine! May God in Heaven thee gave birth to me, My best, my dearest land! May He[Note 1] be guard, may He be shield, For ever may He bless and wield O graciously all deeds of thine, Thou dearest country mine!	Mu esämaa, mu õnn ja rõõm, ku illos olõt sa! Ei lövväq ma joht ilman tääl, taa suurõ,laja ilma pääl, miä mul nii armsa olnuq ka, ku saq, mu esämaa! Su pääl ma olõ sündünüq ja üles kasunuq; ma tennä sinno alasi ja jää sull' truvvis surmani, mul kõgõ armsamb olõt sa, mu kallis esämaa! Su perrä Jummal kaegu, mu armsa esämaa! Tä olku sino kaitsja ja võtku heldele õnnista', miä ilman ette võtat sa, mu kallis esämaa!

Notes and references

1. As Estonian is a genderless language, tema can refer to both a male and a female person.

1. "Estonia - Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm". NationalAnthems.me. Retrieved 2011-11-21.

External links

• The website of the President of the Republic of Estonia has a page on National symbols, including the anthem. The Estonian language version of this page also includes an instrumental version.
• The Estonian national anthem - web page of the State Chancellery, an audio stream. The anthem is played by The Defence Forces Orchestra, vocals by the National Male Choir.
• Streaming audio, lyrics and details of the Estonian anthem.