SLOVENIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM – A TOAST

“Zdravljica” or “A Toast”

is a poem by the 19th-century Romantic Slovene poet France Prešeren, inspired by the ideals of Liberté, égalité, fraternité.

It was written in 1844 and published with some changes in 1848.

Four years after it was written, Slovenes living within Habsburg Empire interpreted the poem in the spirit of the 1848 March Revolution as a political promotion of the idea of a united Slovenia. In it, the poet also declares his belief in a free-thinking Slovene and Slavic political awareness.

In the late 1980s, it was adopted as the national anthem of Slovenia.

hear it: Slovenian national anthem

ENGLISH VERSIFICATION

1.

The vintage, friends, is over,
And here sweet wine makes, once again,
Sad eyes and hearts recover
Puts fire into every vein.
Drowns dull care
Everywhere
And summons hope out of despair.

2.

To whom with acclamation
And song shall we our first toast give?
God save our land and nation
And all Slovenes where’er they live,
Who own the same
Blood and name,
And who one glorious Mother claim.

3.

Let thunder out of heaven
Strike down and smite our wanton foe!
Now, as it once had thriven,
May our dear realm in freedom grow.
May fall the last
Chains of the past
Which bind us still and hold us fast!

4.

Let peace, glad conciliation,
Come back to us throughout the land!
Towards their destination
Let Slavs henceforth go hand-in-hand!
Thus again
Will honour reign
To justice pledged in our domain.

5.

To you, our pride past measure,
Our girls! Your beauty, charm and grace!
There surely is no treasure
To equal maidens of such race.
Sons you’ll bear,
Who will dare
Defy our foe no matter where.

6.

Our hope now, our to-morrow –
The youths – we toast and toast with joy.
No poisonous blight or sorrow
Your love of homeland shall destroy.
With us indeed
You’re called to heed
Its summons in this hour of need.

7.

God’s blessing on all nations,
Who long and work for that bright day,
When o’er earth’s habitations
No war, no strife shall hold its sway;
Who long to see
That all men free
No more shall foes, but neighbours be!

8.

At last to our reunion –
To us the toast! Let it resound,
Since in this gay communion
By thoughts of brotherhood we’re bound
May joyful cheer
Ne’er disappear
From all good hearts now gathered here.

ZDRAVLJICA IN SLOVENIAN LANGUAGE

1.

Spet trte so rodile

prijatli, vince nam sladkó,

ki nam oživlja žile,

srcé razjásni in oko,

ki utopi

vse skrbi,

v potrtih prsih up budi!

2.

Komú narpred veselo

zdravljico, bratje! čmò zapét’!

Bog našo nam deželo,

Bog živi ves slovenski svet,

brate vse,

kar nas je

sinóv sloveče matere!

3.

V sovražnike ‘z oblakov

rodú naj naš’ga treši gróm;

prost, ko je bil očakov,

naprej naj bo Slovencov dom;

naj zdrobé

njih roké

si spone, ki jih še težé!

4.

Edinost, sreča, sprava

k nam naj nazaj se vrnejo;

otrók, kar ima Slava,

vsi naj si v róke sežejo,

de oblast

in z njo čast,

ko préd, spet naša boste last!

5.

Bog žívi vas Slovenke,

prelepe, žlahtne rožice;

ni take je mladenke,

ko naše je krvi dekle;

naj sinóv

zarod nov

iz vas bo strah sovražnikov!

6.

Mladenči, zdaj se pije

zdravljica vaša, vi naš up;

ljubezni domačije

noben naj vam ne usmŕti strup;

ker zdaj vàs

kakor nàs,

jo sŕčno bránit’ kliče čas!

7.

Živé naj vsi naródi,

ki hrepené dočakat’ dan,

da, koder sonce hodi,

prepir iz svéta bo pregnan,

da rojak

prost bo vsak,

ne vrag, le sosed bo mejak!

8.

Nazadnje še, prijatlji,

kozarce zase vzdignimo,

ki smo zato se zbrat’li,

ker dobro v srcu mislimo;

dókaj dni

naj živí

vsak, kar nas dobrih je ljudi!

Slovenian poet France Prešeren – the author of Zdravljica or A Toast

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