"Himni i Flamurit" (transl. "Hymn to the Flag") is the national anthem of Albania, adopted in 1912. Its music is derived from the Romanian patriotic song "Pe-al nostru steag e scris Unire", composed by Ciprian Porumbescu.[1] The lyrics, which are close to the original Romanian lyrics, were written by Albanian poet Asdreni. The anthem was originally titled "Betimi mbi Flamur" ("The Pledge on the Flag").[2]
On 21 April 1912, "Betimi mbi Flamur" was first published as a poem in Liri e Shqipërisë (Freedom of Albania), an Albanian newspaper in Sofia, Bulgaria. It was later printed in a volume of poems by Drenova titled Ëndra e lotë (Dreams and tears) which was published in Bucharest. According to Lasgush Poradeci's memoirs, the anthem, created by the adaptation of the text to the music, was not originally intended to be a national anthem, but it was so well liked by the people that it was proclaimed as the national anthem in 1912, and it was with its music that the Albanian flag was raised during the Albanian Proclamation of Independence in Vlore.[2]
Music
A Hungarian musicologist, György Ligeti, opined that the music composed by Porumbescu is rooted in Germanic and Austrian musical traditions, though this is not a definitive groundbreaking explanation of its influence and later creation. It is a view based on Porumbescu's musical education, since he had studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna. The view has been shared by Albanian musicologist, Ramadan Sokoli.[2]
Lyrics
The second half of each verse is considered refrain and is repeated. Usually, in sports events among national teams, only the first verse is performed.
I
Rreth flamurit të përbashkuar
Me një dëshir' e një qëllim,
Të gjith' atij duke u betuar[c]
Të lidhim besën për shpëtim.
𝄆 Prej lufte veç ai largohet
Që është lindur tradhëtor,
Kush është burrë nuk frigohet,
Po vdes, po vdes si një dëshmor! 𝄇[d]
II
Në dorë armët do t'i mbajmë,
Të mbrojmë atdheun në çdo kënd,
Të drejtat tona ne s'i ndajmë;
Këtu armiqtë s'kanë vend![e]
𝄆 Se Zoti vetë e tha me gojë
Që kombe shuhen përmbi dhe,
Po Shqipëria do të rrojë;[d]
Për të, për të luftojmë ne! 𝄇
III
O Flamur, flamur, shenj' e shenjtë
Tek ti betohemi këtu
Për Shqipërin' atdheun e shtrenjtë,[f]
Për nder' edhe lavdimn e tu.
𝄆 Trim burrë quhet dhe nderohet
Atdheut kush iu bë therror.
Përjetë ai do të kujtohet
Mbi dhe, nën dhe si një shenjtor! 𝄇
I
Around our flag we stand united,
With one wish and one goal,
A sacred oath we bestow upon it
Proclaiming loyalty for our salvation.
𝄆 From war abstains only he,
Who a traitor is born,
He who is a true man is not frightened,
But dies a martyr to the cause. 𝄇[g]
II
With weapons in our hands a-brandished,
We will defend our fatherland,
Our sacred rights we’ll not relinquish,
The foe has no place in our land.
𝄆 For God himself proclaimed:
Some nations of the earth shall wane,
But Albania will live, will thrive Albania.
For her, for her we fight. 𝄇
III
O Flag, flag, you sacred symbol
Upon you we now swear
For Albania, our dear fatherland
For honour and your glory.
𝄆 Brave man is named and honoured
The one who sacrificed himself for the fatherland
Forever he will be remembered
On earth and under as a saint! 𝄇[11]
In other alphabets
Albanian alphabet has historically been written in a number of different alphabets.[h]
I
Rréth flamurit te perbashkuar
Me nje deshir' é nje qellim,
Te gjith' atij duké u betuar
Te lidhim bésen per shpetim.
𝄆 Prej lufté vec ai largohét
Qe eshte lindur tradhetor,
Kush eshte burre nuk frikohét,
Por vdés, por vdés si nje Deshmor! 𝄇
II
Ne dore armet do t'i mbajme,
Te mbrojme atdhéun ne cdo kend,
Te dréjtat tona né s'i ndajme;
Ketu armiqte s'kane vend!
𝄆 Sé Zoti véte é tha mé goje
Ce kombé shuhén permbi dhé,
Po Shqiperia do te rroje;
Per te, per te luftojme né! 𝄇
III
O Flamur, flamur, shénj' é shénjte
Ték ti bétohémi ketu
Per Shqiperine, atdhéun é shtrénjte,
Per ndér' édhé lavdimn é tu.
𝄆 Trim burre cuhét dhé ndérohét
Atdhéut kush iu be thérror.
Perjéte ai do te kujtohét
Mbi dhé, nen dhé si gne shégntor! 𝄇
I
Ρεθ flamurit te perbaσkuar
Me ŋe deσir ε ŋe qeλim,
Te γiθ atij dukε u betuar
Te liδim bεsen per σpetim.
𝄆 Prej luftε veç ai largohεt
Qe eσte lindur traδetor,
Kuσ eσte buρe nuk frikohεt,
Por vdεs, por vdεs si ŋe Deσmor! 𝄇
II
Ne dore armet do ti mbajme,
Te mbrojme atδεun ne çdo kend,
Te drεjtat tona nε si ndajme;
Ketu armiqte skane vend!
𝄆 Sε Zoti vεte ε θa mε goje
Qe kombε σuhεn permbi δε,
Po Ϲqiperia do te ρoje;
Per te, per te luftojme nε! 𝄇
III
O Flamur, flamur, σεŋ ε σεŋte
Tεk ti bεtohεmi ketu
Per Ϲqiperine, atδεun ε σtrεŋte,
Per ndεr εδε lavdimn ε tu.
𝄆 Trim buρe quhεt δε ndεrohεt
Atδεut kuσ iu be θερor.
Perjεte ai do te kujtohεt
Mbi δε, nen δε si ŋe σεŋtor! 𝄇
I
R̃eþ flamurit tə pərbaškuar
Me ńə dəšir' e ńə ḱəłim,
Tə ǵiþ' atij duke u betuar
Tə liđim besən pər špətim.
𝄆 Prej lufte več ai largohet
Ḱə əštə lindur trađətor,
Kuš əštə bur̃ə nuk frigohet,
Po vdes, po vdes si ńə dəšmor! 𝄇
II
Nə dorə armət do t'i mbajmə,
Tə mbrojmə atđeun nə čdo kənd,
Tə drejtat tona ne s'i ndajmə;
Kətu armiḱtə s'kanə vend!
𝄆 Se Zoti vetə e þa me gojə
Ḱə kombe šuhen pərmbi đe,
Po Šḱipəria do tə r̃ojə;
Pər tə, pər tə luftojmə ne! 𝄇
III
O Flamur, flamur, šeń' e šeńtə
Tek ti betohemi kətu
Pər Šḱipərin' atđeun e štreńtə,
Pər nder' eđe lavdimn e tu.
𝄆 Trim bur̃ə ḱuhet đe nderohet
Atđeut kuš iu bə þer̃or.
Pərjetə ai do tə kujtohet
Mbi đe, nən đe si ńə šeńtor! 𝄇
Notes
^Apostrophes represent the elision of word-final ë's, and representation of this among different sources varies.
^Atij ("it") is sometimes replaced with atje ([a.tjɛ]; "there"),[5] and duke u is sometimes written duk' iu,[6][3]duk' ju[7][8] or similar.
^ abPo ("but") is sometimes written por,[9][5] an ancestral form.[10]
^Alongside the standard form vend ("place") one can also find the variant vënd,[11][5] found in most Tosk dialects, with which the lyrics were originally written, as evidenced by the now lost rhyme with kënd.
^Për ("for") is sometimes written pë,[3][7] and atdheun ("homeland") is sometimes written atdhenë.[7][12]
^ ab"Hymni Shqiptar [Albanian Anthem]". Albcan.ca (in Albanian). Shoqata Bashkesia Shqiptaro Kanadeze [Albanian Canadian Community Association]. Archived from the original on 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
Albania
