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Ὕμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν
English: Hymn to Liberty
	Ýmnos eis tīn Eleftherían
National anthem of	Greece; Cyprus
Lyrics	Dionýsios Solomós, 1823
Music	Nikolaos Mantzaros
Adopted	1865 by Greece; 1960 by Cyprus
Music sample
	Hymn to Liberty (Instrumental)

The Hymn to Liberty (Greek: Ὕμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν, Ýmnos eis tīn Eleftherían) is a poem written by Dionýsios Solomós in 1823 that consists of 158 stanzas and is the longest Hymn in the world, set to music by Nikolaos Mantzaros. In 1865, the first two stanzas officially became the national anthem of Greece and later also that of the Republic of Cyprus. According to the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, the Greek national anthem is used in the presence of the Greek Cypriot president (or other Greek Cypriot), and the Turkish national anthem is used in the presence of the Turkish Cypriot vice-president. Cyprus stopped using the Turkish national anthem, however, when Turkish Cypriots broke away from the Government in 1963. Hymn to Liberty was also the Greek Royal Anthem (since 1864).

The hymn was set to music in 1865 by the Corfiot operatic composer Nikolaos Mantzaros, who composed two choral versions, a long one for the whole poem and a short one for the first two stanzas; the latter is the one adopted as the National Anthem of Greece.

[edit] Lyrics

[edit] Greek originals

[edit] Polytonic orthography

Σὲ γνωρίζω ἀπὸ τὴν κόψι

Τοῦ σπαθιοῦ τὴν τρομερή,

Σὲ γνωρίζω ἀπὸ τὴν ὄψι,

Ποῦ μὲ βιά μετράει τὴν γῆ.

Ἀπ’ τὰ κόκκαλα βγαλμένη

Τῶν Ἑλλήνων τὰ ἱερά,

Καὶ σὰν πρῶτα ἀνδρειωμένη,

Χαῖρε, ὢ χαῖρε, Ἐλευθεριά!^[1]

[edit] Monotonic orthography

Σε γνωρίζω από την κόψη

του σπαθιού την τρομερή,

σε γνωρίζω από την όψη

που με βιά μετράει την γη.

Απ’ τα κόκκαλα βγαλμένη

των Ελλήνων τα ιερά,

και σαν πρώτα ανδρειωμένη,

χαίρε, ω χαίρε, Ελευθεριά!^[1]

[edit] Transliteration

Se gnōrízō apó tīn kópsī

tou spathioú tīn tromerī́,

se gnōrízō apó tīn ópsī,

pou me vía metráei tīn gī.

Ap' ta kókkala vgalménī

tōn Ellī́nōn ta ierá,

kai san prṓta andreiōménī,

chaíre, ō chaíre, Elephtheriá!^[1]

[edit] English Translations

[edit] Literal

I recognize you from the terrible

edge of the sword

I recognize you from the countenance

which surveys the earth with force

Risen from the sacred bones

of the Greeks

and, valiant as first,

hail, o hail, Liberty!

[edit] Poetic

I shall always recognize you

by the dreadful sword you hold,

as the earth, with searching vision,

you survey with spirit bold.

From the Greeks of old whose dying

brought to birth our spirit free,

now, with ancient valour rising,

let us hail you, oh Liberty!

[edit] By Rudyard Kipling (1918)

We knew thee of old,

O, divinely restored,

By the lights of thine eyes,

And the light of thy Sword.

From the graves of our slain,

Shall thy valour prevail,

As we greet thee again,

Hail, Liberty! Hail!

[edit] Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Last two verses are repeated 3 times in the national anthem.

[edit] External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Kipling excerpts

Greek Wikisource has original text related to this article:

All verses

Vocal and instrumental versions in MP3
The Greek Presidency - The website for the Presidency of the Hellenic Republic has a page about the National Anthem, including an instrumental file..
Michał Bzinkowski, Eleuthería ē Thánatos!, The idea of freedom in modern Greek poetry during the war of independence in 19th century. Dionysios Solomos’ “Hymn to Liberty”
Neugriechische Volksgesänge, Johann Matthias Firmenich

[verse-0] Last two verses are repeated 3 times in the national anthem.

[1]

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