Oj, svijetla majska zoro
"Oj, svijetla majska zoro" (Cyrillic: "Ој, свијетла мајска зоро", Montenegrin pronunciation: [ˈoj sʋjêːtʎa mâjska zǒro]; "Oh, Bright Dawn of May") is the national anthem of Montenegro adopted in 2004. Before its adoption, it was a popular folk song with many variations of its text. The oldest version dates back to the second half of the 19th century.[1][2]
| English: Oh, Bright Dawn of May | |
|---|---|
| Ој, свијетла мајска зоро | |
National anthem of Montenegro | |
| Lyrics | Unknown (partly edited by Sekula Drljević), 19th century |
| Music | Unknown (arranged by Žarko Mirković), 19th century |
| Adopted | 12 July 2004 (official) |
| Audio sample | |
U.S. Navy Band instrumental version
| |
Lyrics
Although these are the official lyrics, many verses are repeated in order to follow the rhythmic composition.
| Montenegrin Cyrillic[2] | Montenegrin Latin | IPA transcription | Metered English translation |
|---|---|---|---|
𝄆 Ој свијетла мајска зоро. 𝄇 |
𝄆 Oj svijetla majska zoro. 𝄇 |
𝄆 [ˈoj sʋjêːtʎa mâjska zǒro] 𝄇 |
𝄆 O bright dawn of May blazes forth 𝄇 |
History
Original version from the 19th century
The following is the oldest known version of the anthem, known as "Oh, Bright Dawn of Bravery, oh!" ("Oj, Junaštva Svjetla Zoro, oj!"). It was played in public for the first time in 1863 in the national theater in Belgrade. It was a component song of the "Battle of Grahovo or blood feud in Montenegro" (Бој на Грахову или крвна освета у Црној Гори) heroic play in three parts.[3] The play and the Montenegrin folk song was also played/sung in the National Theater again in 1870 and 1876.[4][5]
| Serbo-Croatian (Cyrillic) | Serbian-Croatian (Latin) | English translation |
|---|---|---|
Ој, јунаштва свјетла зоро, |
Oj, junaštva svjetla zoro, |
Oh, bright dawn of bravery, |
World War II version
In 1944, Sekula Drljević, a Montenegrin fascist collaborator, rearranged the lyrics of the Montenegrin patriotic song "Oj, svijetla majska zoro" to celebrate the creation of the Montenegrin puppet regime that had been established in July 1941.[6]
| Serbo-Croatian (Latin) | Serbo-Croatian (Cyrillic) | English translation |
|---|---|---|
Vječna naša Crna Goro, |
Вјечна наша Црна Горо, |
Eternal Our Montenegro, |
Popular song
The song survived until today under various names as a popular Montenegrin folk song under the name "Oh, Bright Dawn of May" ("Oj svijetla majska zoro"). This version of the song has been one of the several versions proposed in 1993 during the first discussion on the official state anthem, however, on which there was no consensus because of the disputed melodic value.[7]
| Montenegrin and Serbian (Cyrillic) | Montenegrin and Serbian (Latin) | English translation |
|---|---|---|
Ој свијетла мајска зоро, |
Oj svijetla majska zoro, |
Oh bright dawn of May, |
Controversies
As the president of Montenegro, Filip Vujanović participated on several occasions public debates regarding the disputed parts of the national anthem, which was made official in 2004. On that occasion, the official text of the anthem also included two stanzas (third and fourth) sung by the Montenegrin fascist and war criminal Sekula Drljević.[8] Controversy over the disputed parts of the anthem in the following years led to open divisions among the citizens of Montenegro,[9] and Vujanović himself on various occasions publicly criticized the adoption of Drljevic's stanzas, from which he distanced himself, advocating changes to the official text of the anthem.[10][11] Vujanović repeatedly pointed out that the adoption of Drljevic's verses was not acceptable because their creator was a fascist or Nazi, and on the same occasion he warned of the danger of strengthening extreme Montenegrin nationalism and chauvinism.[12][13]
Historical anthems in official use
- Ubavoj nam Crnoj Gori, national anthem of Principality (1870–1910) and later of Kingdom of Montenegro (1910–1918), with Nicholas I song Onamo, 'namo! as a popular anthem in the Montenegrin monarchy during the Nicholas I regime
- National anthem of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1919–1941), and Hey, Slavs as the national anthem of SFR Yugoslavia (1945/1977–1992) and later FR Yugoslavia / State Union of Serbia and Montenegro (1992–2006)
References
- Закон о државним симболима и дану државности Црне Горе (2004).
- Црногорска химна настала је у Србији, да би из ње био избачен стих у ком се помиње српски род
- Repertoire of the National Theatre in Belgrade 1868-1965, Sava V. Cvetkovic, Belgrade, 1966
- Istorija srpskog pozorišta od srednjeg veka do modernog doba, Borivoje Stojković, 1979.
- "Zadovoljni zbog neusvajanja himne :: Dnevni list Pobjeda". 2011-07-22. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22.
- Kenneth Morrison (2009). Montenegro: A Modern History. ISBN 9781845117108.
- "Oj svijetla majska zoro". PCNEN.
- "Da li su stihovi crnogorske himne "Oj svijetla majska zoro" neonacistički i fašistički?". Radio Slobodna Evropa (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- "Vujanović: Državna himna ne zbližava već odvaja ljude". vijesti.me (in Serbian). Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- ""Смењују" Вујановића | Регион | Novosti.rs". 2019-06-26. Archived from the original on 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- "ЦГ: Повратак правим симболима". NOVOSTI (in Serbian). Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- "Вујановић: Нападају ме црногорски националисти". Politika Online. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
- "Ima li crnogorskog nacionalizma u Crnoj Gori". Radio Slobodna Evropa (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 2021-06-12.
External links
- A midi version of the anthem exists at the official websites of
- Himnuszok - A vocal version of the Anthem, featured in "Himnuszok" website.
- Oj, svijetla majska zoro - Audio of the Montenegro national anthem, with information and lyrics, from NationalAnthems.me (archive link)
- The Songs section of the Italian language website "NewMontenegro.eu" features two alternative versions of the anthem.
- nationalanthems.info - The sheet music and lyrics are featured in the "nationalanthems.info" site.