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Zdravljica
English: A Toast
	; Original manuscript of Zdravljica, written in the Bohorič alphabet
National anthem of	Slovenia; (the 7th stanza)
Also known as	Zdravica
Lyrics	France Prešeren, 1844
Music	Stanko Premrl, 1905
Adopted	1989
Music sample
	Zdravljica (instrumental)

Zdravljica (A Toast) or Zdravica, written in 1844, is the best-known poem of the Slovenian national poet France Prešeren. Since 27 September 1989, its 7th stanza has been the national anthem of Slovenia.

Zdravljica is a drinking song. In it, the poet declares his belief in a free-thinking Slovene and Slavic political awareness, promoting the idea of a unified Slovenia, which the March Revolution in 1848 elevated into a national political programme.

[edit] History

Zdravljica from Prešeren's censored manuscript, ready to be published in the Poezije (Poems) collection in 1846. A modified version was published in full in 1848.

In 1844, the censorship of the Austrian Empire did not allow for the poem to be printed. Later Prešeren himself intended to include it in his poem collection Poezije (Poems), and to that end omitted the third stanza ("V sovražnike 'z oblakov / rodú naj naš'ga treši gróm") in order to save the rest. However the censor (fellow-Slovene Franc Miklošič in Austrian service) saw in the fourth stanza ("Edinost, sreča, sprava / k nam naj nazaj se vrnejo") an expression of pan-Slavic sentiment and therefore did not allow its publication either. Prešeren believed the poem would be mutilated without both the third and the fourth stanza and decided against including it in the Poezije. The integral version was first published after the March Revolution when the censorship was abolished. It was published on 26 April 1848 in the newspaper Kmetijske in rokodelske novice, edited by the conservative Slovene leader Janez Bleiweis.

Zdravljica was adopted as anthem in 1989 by the Socialist Republic of Slovenia before the breakup of Yugoslavia. Therefore, it was the anthem of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia, the Republic of Slovenia as a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 8 March 1990 to 25 June 1991, and of the Republic of Slovenia as a sovereign state.

[edit] Lyrics

France Prešeren and the first verse of the 7th stanza of Zdravljica on the Slovenian €2 coin

The following provides the original Slovene text of Zdravljica and its English translation by Janko Lavrin.^[1] The poem is a carmen figuratum because the shape of each stanza resembles a wine cup.

Spet trte so rodile,	The vintage, friends, is over,
prijat'li, vince nam sladkó,	And here sweet wine makes, once again,
ki nam oživlja žile,	Sad eyes and hearts recover
srce razjásni in oko,	Puts fire into every vein.
ki utopi	Drowns dull care
vse skrbi,	Everywhere
v potrtih prsih up budi!	And summons hope out of despair.

Komú narpred veselo	To whom with acclamation
zdravljico, bratje! čmo zapét'?	And song shall we our first toast give?
Bog našo nam deželo,	God save our land and nation
Bog živi ves slovenski svet,	And all Slovenes where'er they live,
brate vse,	Who own the same
kar nas je	Blood and name,
sinov sloveče matere!	And who one glorious Mother claim.

V sovražnike 'z oblakov	Let thunder out of heaven
rodú naj naš'ga trešči gróm,	Strike down and smite our wanton foe!
prost, ko je bil očakov,	Now, as it once had thriven,
naprej naj bo Slovencov dom;	May our dear realm in freedom grow.
naj zdrobé	May fall the last
njih roké	Chains of the past
si spone, ki jim še težé!	Which bind us still and hold us fast!

Edinost, sreča, sprava	Let peace, glad conciliation,
k nam naj nazaj se vrnejo;	Come back to us throughout the land!
otrók, kar ima Slava,	Towards their destination
vsi naj si v róke sežejo,	Let Slavs henceforth go hand-in-hand!
de oblast	Thus again
in z njo čast,	Will honour reign
ko préd, spet naša bode last!	To justice pledged in our domain.

Bog žívi vas Slovenke,	To you, our pride past measure,
prelepe, žlahtne rožice;	Our girls! Your beauty, charm and grace!
ni take je mladenke,	There surely is no treasure
ko naše je krvi dekle;	To equal maidens of such race.
naj sinóv	Sons you'll bear,
zarod nov	Who will dare
iz vas bo strah sovražnikov!	Defy our foe no matter where.

Mladenči, zdaj se pije	Our hope now, our to-morrow -
zdravljica vaša, vi naš up;	The youths - we toast and toast with joy.
ljubezni domačije	No poisonous blight or sorrow
noben naj vam ne usmŕti strup;	Your love of homeland shall destroy.
ker po nas	With us indeed
bode vas	You're called to heed
jo sŕčno bránit klical čas!	Its summons in this hour of need.

Živé naj vsi naródi,	God's blessing on all nations,
ki hrepené dočakat dan,	Who long and work for that bright day,
da, koder sonce hodi,	When o'er earth's habitations
prepir iz svéta bo pregnan,	No war, no strife shall hold its sway;
da rojak	Who long to see
prost bo vsak,	That all men free,
ne vrag, le sosed bo mejak!	No more shall foes, but neighbours be.

Nazadnje še, prijatlji,	At last to our reunion -
kozarce zase vzdignimo,	To us the toast! Let it resound,
ki smo zato se zbrat'li,	Since in this great communion
ker dobro v srcu mislimo;	By thoughts of brotherhood we're bound
dókaj dni	May joyful cheer
naj živí	Ne'er disappear
vsak, kar nas dobrih je ljudi!	From all good hearts now gathered here.

[edit] Musical adaptations

Zdravljica was first set to music in 1905 by the Slovene composer Stanko Premrl, whose choral composition has the Slovenian Assembly on 27th September 1989 proclaimed the official tune of the Slovenian anthem.

In 1987, the Slovenian band Lačni Franz (Hungry Franz) recorded and later performed Zdravljica as a rock song.

[edit] References

^ "France Prešeren: Zdravljica". Government of Slovenia. http://www.vlada.si/en/about_slovenia/political_system/national_insignia/france_preseren_zdravljica_a_toast/. Retrieved 16 September 2009.

[edit] See also

National symbols of Slovenia

[edit] External links

[0] "France Prešeren: Zdravljica". Government of Slovenia. http://www.vlada.si/en/about_slovenia/political_system/national_insignia/france_preseren_zdravljica_a_toast/. Retrieved 16 September 2009.

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