Anthem of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic

Flag of the Estonian SSR

The State Anthem of the Estonian SSR (Estonian: Eesti Nõukogude Sotsialistliku Vabariigi hümn) was the anthem of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic under the Soviet Union from 1945 to 1990.

During the decades of the Soviet occupation of Estonia, the official Estonian anthem was strictly forbidden. Throughout the years of prohibition, Lydia Koidula's poem, Mu isamaa on minu arm, with a melody by Gustav Ernesaks served as means of expressing national feelings, and was regarded as an unofficial anthem of Estonia. With the restoration of Estonian independence in 1991 however, the official national anthem from 1920 by Fredrik Pacius with lyrics by Johann Voldemar Jannsen has been restored.

Background

The music of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic's anthem was composed by Gustav Ernesaks, and the lyrics were written by Johannes Semper. It and the Karelo-Finnish SSR anthem were the only ones not to mention the Russian people. On 21 July 1956, the third stanza of the lyrics was changed to remove mentions of Joseph Stalin. This is the version presented here.

lyrics

Lyrics 1945—1978

Estonian	English translation
Jää kestma, Kalevite kange rahvas, ja seisa kaljuna, me kodumaa! Ei vaibund kannatustes sinu vahvus, end läbi sajanditest murdsid sa. Ja tõusid töötajate vabaks maaks, et päikene su päevadesse paista saaks. Nüüd huuga, tehas, vili, nurmel vooga, sirp, lõika, alasile, haamer, löö! Nõukogu elu, tuksu võimsa hooga, too õnne rahvale, me tubli töö! Me Liidu rahvaste ja riike seas sa, Eesti, sammu esimeste kindlas reas! Kui kants-nii seisavad su kodurannad, su ees vaid lainetavad laiad veed. Sa körgel Leninlikku lippu kannad suur Stalin juhtimas su tõusuteed. Käi kindlalt, saatmas sind su õnneteel me võitlusvaim ja kohkumatu mehemeel!	Endure, heroic people of Kalevs And stand as a rock, our homeland! Your courage did not subside in the sufferings, You broke yourself through the centuries, And arose a socialist country in blossom, For sun could shine in your days.     Ye roar, factories, and corn-fields, wave; Reap, sickle, and beat out, hammer! May life of the Soviets throb in mighty swing; May happiness be brought to people by good labor! Among our Soviet nations and states Estonia, march in the firm fore! Thy home beaches stand as a castle, Wide waters only wave before you. You're bearing Lenin's banner high, Great Stalin leading your ascent. March steadily with our fighting spirit And bold manly mind guiding you!

Lyrics 1978—1991

Estonian	Russian lyrics	Russian (transliterated)	English translation
Jää kestma, Kalevite kange rahvas, ja seisa kaljuna, me kodumaa! Ei vaibund kannatustes sinu vahvus, end läbi sajanditest murdsid sa ja tõusid õitsvaks sotsialismimaaks, et päikene su päevadesse paista saaks. Nüüd huuga, tehas, vili, nurmel vooga, sirp, lõika, alasile, haamer, löö! Nõukogu elu, tuksu võimsa hooga, too õnne rahvale, me tubli töö! Me Liidu rahvaste ja riike seas sa, Eesti, sammu esimeste kindlas reas! Sa kõrgel Leninlikku lippu kannad ja julgelt kommunismi rada käid. Partei me sammudele suuna annab ja võidult võitudele viib ta meid. Ta kindlal juhtimisel kasva sa ja tugevaks ning kauniks saa, me kodumaa!	Живи, сын Калева - народ наш славный, И стой, отчизна наша, как скала. Сквозь все страдания веков бесправных Отвагу ты и доблесть пронесла. И вот зажгла социализма свет, Воспрянула в цвету для счастья и побед. Могучим колосом цветите нивы! Жни, серп, и, молот, бей, гуди, завод! В стране советской каждый будь счастливым - Упорный труд нам счастье принесёт. В союзе братском пред тобой простор - Эстония, шагай в строю своих сестёр! Ты знамя Ленина несёшь святое, Дорогой славною идёшь вперёд. Родная партия всегда с тобою - Путём побед она тебя ведёт. Расти, отчизна, на пути большом, Прекрасней и сильней будь с каждым новым днём!	Zhivi, syn Kaleva - narod nash slavnyy, I stoy, otchizna nasha, kak skala. Skvoz' vse stradaniya vekov bespravnykh Otvagu ty i doblest' pronesla.. I vot zazhgla sotsializma svet, Vospryanula v tsvetu dlya schast'ya i pobed. Moguchim kolosom tsvetite nivy! Zhni, serp, i, molot, bey, gudi, zavod! V strane sovetskoy kazhdyy bud' schastlivym - Upornyy trud nam schast'ye prinesot. V soyuze bratskom pred toboy prostor - Estoniya, shagay v stroyu svoikh sestor! Ty znamya Lenina nesosh' svyatoye, Dorogoy slavnoyu idosh' vperod. Rodnaya partiya vsegda s toboyu - Putom pobed ona tebya vedot. Rasti, otchizna, na puti bol'shom, Prekrasney i sil'ney bud' s kazhdym novym dnom!	Endure, heroic people of Kalevs And stand as a rock, our homeland! Your courage did not subside in the sufferings, You broke yourself through the centuries, And arose a socialist country in blossom, For sun could shine in your days.     Ye roar, factories, and corn-fields, wave; Reap, sickle, and beat out, hammer! May life of the Soviets throb in mighty swing; May happiness be brought to people by good labor! Among our Soviet nations and states Estonia, march in the firm fore! You're bearing Lenin's banner high, You're boldly marching your Communist way. Our Party will lead our steps And take us from victory to victory. Grow in her firm leadership And become mighty and fair, our Homeland!

External links

• Estonian SSR Anthem 1945(Eesti NSV Hümn)
• MIDI file
• Vocal recording in MP3 format
• Lyrics - nationalanthems.info