Maamme

Vårt land
Maamme

English: Our Land
The first stanza of "Maamme" from the Finnish translation of The Tales of Ensign Stål
National anthem of Finland
Also known as	"Vårt land" (English: "Our Land")
Lyrics	Johan Ludvig Runeberg, 1848
Music	Fredrik Pacius, 1848
Audio sample
"Maamme" (instrumental, one verse) file help

"Maamme" (Finnish: [ˈmɑːmːe]; Swedish: Vårt land, Swedish pronunciation: [ˈvoːrt ˈlɑnːd]; both meaning "Our Land") is the unofficial national anthem of Finland. The music was composed by the German immigrant Fredrik Pacius, with original Swedish words by Johan Ludvig Runeberg, and with this music it was performed for the first time on 13 May 1848. Originally it was written for the 500th anniversary of Porvoo and for that occasion it was Runeberg himself who wrote the music. The poem was influenced by the "Szózat" (Appeal) of Mihály Vörösmarty, both in style and content.

The melody of "Maamme" is also used for the national anthem of Estonia with a similarly themed text, "Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm" ("My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy", 1869). It is also considered to be the ethnic anthem for the Livonians as "Min izāmō" ("My Fatherland").

History

Frontpage of "Vårt land" by Johan Ludvig Runeberg

The Swedish words of the "Vårt Land" poem appear in Johan Ludvig Runeberg's monument in Helsinki. Sculptor Walter Runeberg.

The original poem, written in 1846 but not printed until 1848, had 11 stanzas and formed the prologue to the verse cycle The Tales of Ensign Stål ("Fänrik Ståhls sägner"), a classic example of Romantic nationalism. The current Finnish language text is usually attributed to the 1889 translation of Ensign Stål by Paavo Cajander, but in fact originates from the 1867 translation by Julius Krohn.

The Tales of Ensign Stål were much appreciated throughout all of Scandinavia. Up until the time of Finland's independence in 1917 and 1918, when the song began to be recognized as specifically applying to Finland, Pacius's tune and Runeberg's text were often also sung in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Note that in the original Swedish text there is no reference to Finland (except for in verses 4 and 10, which are rarely sung), only to a country in the north, but the Finnish text explicitly refers to Finland. The poem's theme is, furthermore, remarkably similar to that of the national anthems of Sweden ("Du gamla, Du fria") and Norway ("Ja, vi elsker dette landet").

There is no law regarding an official national anthem in Finland, in the way the coat of arms and flag of Finland are legally defined. Instead its position has been established gradually by convention over the years.

Children learn it in school; in formal occasions it is sung both in Finnish and in Swedish. It is played at sporting events, such as the Olympics. In the 1880s and in the 1920s there were more attempts to replace it with a Finnish language version but these ceased by the 1930s. Some Finns have proposed that the Finnish national anthem be set as "Finlandia" by Jean Sibelius, with lyrics by V.A. Koskenniemi (Finnish) and Joel Rundt (Swedish). There are also those who simply prefer "Finlandia" as a musical piece, although critics claim that it is difficult to sing.

It is said that Pacius composed the tune in four days. It was popular throughout the 19th century, but established as national anthem only after Pacius' death.

During 1993, an instrumental version of Maamme was used as Finnish professional wrestler Tony Halme's (under the ring name "Ludvig Borga") entrance theme

Lyrics

The original lyrics consist of eleven verses but it is customary to sing the first verse and the last verse, unless the people gathered are mixed Finnish- and Swedish-speaking. In the latter case, three verses are sung: the first in Finnish, the first in Swedish and the last in Finnish.

Swedish original	Finnish translation	English translation
Vårt land, vårt land, vårt fosterland, Ljud högt, o dyra ord! 𝄆 Ej lyfts en höjd mot himlens rand, Ej sänks en dal, ej sköljs en strand, Mer älskad än vår bygd i nord, Än våra fäders jord. 𝄇 Vårt land är fattigt, skall så bli För den, som guld begär. En främling far oss stolt förbi: Men detta landet älska vi, För oss med moar, fjäll och skär Ett guldland dock det är. Vi älska våra strömmars brus Och våra bäckars språng. Den mörka skogens dystra sus, Vår stjärnenatt, vårt sommarljus. Allt, allt, vad här som syn, som sång Vårt hjärta rört en gång. Här striddes våra fäders strid Med tanke, svärd och plog. Här, här, i klar som mulen tid. Med lycka hård, med lycka blid. Det finska folkets hjärta slog. Här bars vad det fördrog. Vem täljde väl de striders tal. Som detta folk bestod. Då kriget röt från dal till dal. Då frosten kom med hungers kval. Vem mätte allt dess spillda blod Och allt dess tålamod? Och det var här det blodet flöt, Ja, här för oss det var, Och det var här sin fröjd det njöt, Och det var här sin suck det göt. Det folk som våra bördor bar Långt före våra dar. Här är oss ljuvt, här är oss gott, Här är oss allt beskärt; Hur ödet kastar än vår lott. Ett land, ett fosterland vi fått, Vad finns på jorden mera värt Att hållas dyrt och kärt? Och här och här är detta land. Vårt öga ser det här, Vi kunna sträcka ut vår hand Och visa glatt på sjö och strand Och säga: se det landet där. Vårt fosterland det är. Och fördes vi att bo i glans Bland guldmoln i det blå, Och blev vårt liv en stjärnedans. Där tår ej göts, där suck ej fanns. Till detta arma land ändå Vår längtan skulle stå. O land, du tusen sjöars land, Där sång och trohet byggt, Där livets hav oss gett en strand, Vår forntids land, vår framtids land. Var för din fattigdom ej skyggt. Var fritt, var glatt, var tryggt. Din blomning, sluten än i knopp, Skall mogna ur sitt tvång; Se, ur vår kärlek skall gå opp Ditt ljus, din glans, din fröjd, ditt hopp. Och högre klinga skall en gång Vår fosterländska sång.	Oi maamme, Suomi, synnyinmaa, soi, sana kultainen! 𝄆 Ei laaksoa, ei kukkulaa, ei vettä rantaa rakkaampaa, kuin kotimaa tää pohjoinen, maa kallis isien! 𝄇 On maamme köyhä, siksi jää, jos kultaa kaivannet Sen vieras kyllä hylkäjää, mut meille kallein maa on tää, sen salot, saaret, manteret, ne meist on kultaiset. Ovatpa meille rakkahat koskemme kuohuineen, ikuisten honkain huminat, täht'yömme, kesät kirkkahat, kaikk'kuvineen ja lauluineen mi painui sydämeen. Täss auroin, miekoin, miettehin isämme sotivat, kun päivä piili pilvihin tai loisti onnen paistehin, täss Suomen kansan vaikeimmat he vaivat kokivat. Tään kansan taistelut ken voi ne kertoella, ken? Kun sota laaksoissamme soi, ja halla näläntuskan toi, ken mittasi sen hurmehen ja kärsimykset sen? Täss on sen veri virrannut hyväksi meidänkin, täss iloaan on nauttinut ja murheitansa huokaillut se kansa, jolle muinaisin kuormamme pantihin. Tääll' olo meill on verraton ja kaikki suotuisaa, vaikk onni mikä tulkohon, maa isänmaa se meillä on. Mi maailmass on armaampaa ja mikä kalliimpaa? Ja tässä, täss' on tämä maa, sen näkee silmämme. me kättä voimme ojentaa ja vettä rantaa osoittaa ja sanoa: kas tuoss' on se, maa armas isäimme. Jos loistoon meitä saatettais vaikk' kultapilvihin, mis itkien ei huoattais, vaan tärkein riemun sielu sais, ois tähän köyhään kotihin halumme kuitenkin. Totuuden, runon kotimaa maa tuhatjärvinen miss' elämämme suojan saa, sa muistojen, sa toivon maa, ain ollos, onnees tyytyen, vapaa ja iloinen. Sun kukoistukses kuorestaan kerrankin puhkeaa, viel lempemme saa nousemaan sun toivos, riemus loistossaan, ja kerran, laulus synnyinmaa korkeemman kaiun saa.	Our land, our land, our Fatherland! Ring out, dear word, oh sound! 𝄆 No rising hill, or mountain grand, No sloping dale, no northern strand, There is, more loved, to be found, Than this — our fathers’ ground. 𝄇 Our land is poor, and so shall be To him who gold will crave. The strangers proudly pass, but we Shall ever love this land, we see, In moor, and fell, and isle and wave, A golden land, so brave. We love our rippling brooks, so bright, Our gushing streams, so strong, The whisper of dark woods, at night, Our starry skies, our summer light, All, all that we, in sight and song, Have felt and lived among. Here fought our fathers, without fear, With sword, and plough, and thought. And here, in clouded times, and clear, With fortune in their front or rear, Their Finnish hearts have beat, and wrought And borne what bear they ought. Who tells, of all the fights, the tale, In which this folk withstood, When war did rage from dale to dale, When frost set in, with hunger’s wail? Who measured all their pouring blood, And all their patience good? And it was here their blood was shed, For us, here, on this shore; And it was here their joys were bred, Here, that their sighs were heaved and fled, That people’s who our burdens bore Before us, long before. Here it is sweet and good, we wot, All, too, is giv’n us here; However fate may cast our lot, A land, a fatherland, we’ve got. Will there a thing on earth appear More worthy, to hold dear? And here’s, and here’s this fatherland, Here every eye it sees; And we can stretch a pointing hand, To show, with joy, its sea and strand, And say, “Behold this country, this, Our Fatherland it is.” And if we once were made to rise To gold clouds, from below, And if we moved in starry skies, Where no one weeps, where no one sighs, To this poor lonely country, though, Our longing hearts would go. Oh land, the thousand lakes’ own land, Of faith, and lay, and glee, Where life’s main sea gave us a strand, Our fore-time’s land, our future’s land, Shy of thy poorness, never be, Be calm, be glad, be free! Thy blossom, hidden now from sight, Shall burst its bud ere long. Lo! from our love, shall rise aright, Thy sun, thy hope, thy joy, thy light, And higher, once, more full and strong, Shall ring Our Country’s song. (Trans. from Swedish by Anna Krook, 1904.)

International Phonetic Alphabet transcriptions

Swedish original (key)

Finnish translation (key)

[vort ˈlɑnd | vort ˈlɑnd | vort ˈfostærlɑnd | ˈjʉːd ˈhøkt | ˈuː ˈdyːrɑ ˈuːrd ‖| ˈej ˈlyfts ˈen ˈhøjd ˈmuːt ˈhimlens ˈrɑnd | ˈej ˈseŋks ˈen ˈdɑːl | ˈej ˈɕøls ˈen ˈstrɑnd | ˈmeːr ˈelskɑd ˈen ˈvoːr ˈbygd ˈiː ˈnuːrd | ˈen ˈvoːrɑ ˈfeːdærs ˈjuːrd ‖] [ˈdin ˈblumniŋ | ˈslʉːten ˈen ˈiː ˈknopː | ˈskɑlː ˈmuːgnɑ ˈʉːr ˈsitː ˈtvoŋ ‖| ˈseː | ˈʉːr ˈvoːr ˈtɕæːrlek ˈskɑlː ˈɡoː ˈopː ˈditː ˈjʉːs | ˈdin ˈglɑns | ˈdin ˈfrøjd | ˈditː ˈhopː ‖| ˈok ˈhøːgre ˈkliŋɑ ˈskɑlː ˈen ˈgoŋ ˈvoːr ˈfostærlendskɑ ˈsoŋ ‖]

[ˈo̞j ˈmɑːmːe̞ | ˈs̠uo̞̯mi | ˈs̠ynːyjnˌmɑː | ˈs̠o̞j | ˈs̠ɑnɑ ˈkultɑjne̞n ‖| e̞j ˈlɑːks̠o̞ɑ | e̞j ˈkukːulɑː | e̞j ˈʋe̞t̪ːæ ˈrɑn̪t̪ɑː ˈrɑkːɑːmpɑː | ˈkujn ˈko̞t̪iˌmɑː ˈt̪æː ˈpo̞xjo̞jne̞n | ˈmɑː ˈkɑlːis̠ ˈis̠i.e̞n ‖] [ˈs̠un ˈkuko̞js̠tuks̠e̞s̠ ˈkuo̞̯res̠tɑːn ˈke̞rːɑŋkim ˈpuxke̞ɑː | ˈʋie̞̯l ˈle̞mpe̞mːe̞ ˈs̠ɑː ˈno̞ws̠e̞mɑːn ˈs̠un̪ ˈt̪o̞jʋo̞s̠ | ˈrie̞̯mus̠ ˈlo̞js̠to̞s̠ːɑːn | ˈjɑ ˈke̞rːɑn | ˈlɑwlus̠ ˈs̠ynːyjnˌmɑː ˈko̞rke̞ːmːɑn ˈkɑj.un ˈs̠ɑː ‖]

See also

• Flag of Finland
• Holidays in Finland
• Finnish national symbols
• "Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm" – the national anthem of Estonia
• "Ålänningens sång" – the regional anthem of Åland
• "Min izāmō" – the ethnic anthem of the Livonians

External links

• Finland: "Maamme" – Audio of the national anthem of Finland, with information and lyrics
• The Livonian version, sung with organ
• History of the Finnish national anthem
• Full lyrics at Wikisource
• This Is Finland: The Finnish National Anthem – historical overview and RealAudio of the song
• www.national-anthems.net – mp3, RealAudio and Windows Media files of performances
• "Papst und Sultan" – A German drinking-song which resembles the tune of Maamme.