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 composer, 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 only the first stanza of the anthem is performed, such as during sporting events.
Rreth flamurit të përbashkuar Me një dëshir' e një qëllim, Të gjith' atij duke u betuar[a] Të lidhim besën për shpëtim. 𝄆 Prej lufte veç ai largohet Që është lindur tradhëtor, Kush është burrë nuk frikohet, Po vdes, po vdes si një dëshmor! 𝄇[b]
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![c] 𝄆 Se Zoti vetë e tha me gojë Që kombe shuhen përmbi dhe, Po Shqipëria do të rrojë;[b] Për të, për të luftojmë ne! 𝄇
O Flamur, flamur, shenj' e shenjtë Tek ti betohemi këtu Për Shqipërin' atdheun e shtrenjtë,[d] 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! 𝄇[e]
Around our flag united we stand, With one wish and one intention. A sacred oath we bestow upon it, Faith for our pardon we blazon. 𝄆 From battle only he abstains, For who is born a traitor. He who a true man frightened not, But to the cause dies a warrior. 𝄇[g]
We are armed with weapon in hand, In defending our fatherland. Our sacred rights we shall cede not, On our land the foe has a place not. 𝄆 For God himself proclaimed: Some nations of the earth will end, And yet Albania will live and succeed. For her, for her we shall defend. 𝄇
O Banner, banner, you symbol sacred Upon you we now swear. For Albania, our dear fatherland, For your glory and honour. 𝄆 Now the hero's named and honoured, The one who died for the motherland. Forever shall he be remembered On earth and under as a saint! 𝄇
Notes
↑Atij ('it') is sometimes replaced with atje ([a.tjɛ]; 'there'),[6] and duke u is sometimes written duk' iu,[7][3]duk' ju[8][9] or similar.
12Po ('but') is sometimes written por,[10][6] an ancestral form.[11]
↑Alongside the standard form vend ('place') one can also find the variant vënd,[5][6] 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][8] and atdheun ('homeland') is sometimes written atdhenë.[8][12]
↑Apostrophes represent the elision of word-final ë's, and representation of this among different sources varies.
12"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.
123Italy. Esercito. Corpo di stato maggiore. Ufficio propaganda (1941). Per te, solidato d'Albania (in Italian). p.41.
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