Anthem of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
Template:Short description Template:Infobox anthem
The State Anthem of the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic was an anthem of Lithuania under Soviet occupation from 1950 to 1989.
History
During the Soviet occupation in Lithuania, the anthem was officially adopted by the Lithuanian Soviet government in 1950, substituted for "Tautiška giesmė", which had been used as a national anthem of Lithuania since 1944.<ref name=TM>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1988, the official anthem of the Republic of Lithuania, "Tautiška giesmė", was once again openly utilized as the Lithuanian anthem, and its status as the national anthem was restored by the independent Lithuanian government in 1992 and is still used today.
Background
The music was composed by Balys Dvarionas and Jonas Švedas, and the original lyrics authored by Antanas Venclova. After Joseph Stalin's death, Vacys Reimeris changed the second stanza of the lyrics to remove mention of Stalin. The second stanza was changed to state that Lenin had lit the path to freedom, helped by the Russians, led by the party (Reimeris changed the word "Stalin" to "party") and exhorted the Lithuanian people to work with the peoples of the other Soviet Republics. This Soviet era anthem was confirmed in Article 169 of the 1978 Constitution of the Lithuanian SSR.
Lyrics
Post-Stalinist version
| Lithuanian original<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | English translation |
|---|---|
| <poem>Template:Lang</poem> | <poem>Soviet Lithuania was built by the very people
Who have for ages fought for their freedom. Where Vilnius, Nemunas, and the Baltic Sea are, There our cities and our fields blossom. Refrain: Within glorious Soviet Union, Amidst the equal and the free, Live on for centuries and be happy, O dear Soviet Lithuania! The path to freedom Lenin has showed us, In the fight have the great Russians helped us. To fortune and power the party leads us, Strong as steel is our friendship between nations. Mighty is our fatherland, no danger we fear, May the skies be peaceful and pure. Just to build a great tomorrow we'll toil, The dawn of communism will illuminate our soil. Template:Small</poem> |
Original version
| Lithuanian original | English translation |
|---|---|
| <poem>Template:Lang</poem> | <poem>Soviet Lithuania was built by the very people,
Who have for ages fought for their freedom. Where old Vilnius is, where the Baltic Sea is, There our cities and our fields blossom. Template:Small Within glorious Soviet Union, Amidst the equal and the free. Live on for centuries and be happy, O dear Soviet Lithuania! The path to freedom Lenin has showed us, In the fight have the great Russians helped us. To fortune and power Stalin leads us, Strong as steel is our friendship between nations. Mighty is our fatherland, no danger we fear, Let's defend our homeland from every foe. We're marching towards a great tomorrow, Under transparent rays of communism. Template:Small</poem> |
Playback incident
In 2015, during the victory ceremony for the Lithuanian team in World Deaf Basketball Championships in Taoyuan, Taiwan, where they achieved first place, the Soviet-era song was accidentally played, much to the surprise of the Lithuanians. The organizers promptly acknowledged their mistake and apologized.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
References
External links
- Instrumental recording in MP3 format (Full version)
- Instrumental recording in MP3 format (Short version)
- MIDI file
- Vocal recording in MP3 format
- Lyrics - nationalanthems.info Template:Webarchive
- Original version (1950-1953)
Template:Anthems of the Soviet Republics Template:Authority control