"Limba noastră" ("Our Language"; Romanian pronunciation:[ˈlimbaˈno̯astrə]ⓘ) is the national anthem of Moldova. It has been used since 1994 and was officially adopted on 22 July 1995.[1]
For a short period of time in the early 1990s, the national anthem of Moldova was "Deșteaptă-te, române!", which was and remains the national anthem of Romania. The lyrics were written by Alexei Mateevici (1888–1917) a month before his death.[2] Mateevici contributed significantly to the national emancipation of Bessarabia. The music was composed by Alexandru Cristea.
Lyrics
The focus of "Limba noastră" is language; in this case, the national language of Moldova, which is referred to as either Romanian[3] or Moldovan.[a] It calls for the people to revive the usage of their native language. The poem does not refer to the language by name; it is poetically called "our language".
"Limba noastră" is based on a twelve-verse poem. For the officially-defined national anthem used today, the verses were selected and reorganised into five verses of four lines each; namely, the first, second, fifth, ninth and twelfth verses, respectively,[5] which are highlighted in bold.
8
[ˈlim.ba ˈno̯as.trə ɨj a.ˈle̯a.sə]
[sə ri.ˈdi.t͡ʃe ˈsla.van ˈt͡ʃe.rurʲ]
[sə ne ˈspju.en hram ʃja.ˈka.sə]
[ˈveʃ.ni.t͡ʃe.le a.de.ˈvə.rurʲ]
9 [ˈlim.ba ˈno̯as.trəj ˈlim.bə ˈsfɨn.tə] [ˈlim.ba ˈve.ki.lor ka.ˈza.nij] [ˈka.re̯o plɨŋg ʃi ˈka.re̯o ˈkɨn.tə] [pe la ˈvat.ra lor t͡sə.ˈra.nij]
10
[ɨn.vi.ˈa.t͡si.və dar ˈgra.jul]
[ru.d͡ʒi.ˈnit de ˈmul.tə ˈvre.me]
[ˈʃter.d͡ʒet͡sʲ ˈsli.nul mu.t͡ʃe.ˈga.jul]
[al uj.ˈtə.rij‿n ˈka.re ˈd͡ʒe.me]
11
[ˈʃtrɨn.d͡ʒet͡sʲ ˈpja.tra lu.t͡ʃi.ˈto̯a.re]
[t͡ʃe din ˈso̯a.re se a.ˈprin.de]
[ʃit͡sʲ a.ˈve̯a ɨn re.vər.ˈsa.re]
[un po.ˈtop nou̯ de ku.ˈvin.te]
12 [rə.sə.ˈri.va o ko.ˈmo̯a.rə] [ɨn a.ˈdɨŋ.kurʲ ɨn.fun.ˈda.tə] [un ʃi.ˈrag de ˈpja.trə ˈra.rə] [pe mo.ˈʃi.e re.vər.ˈsa.tə]
I Our language is a treasure that surges from deep shadows of the past A necklace of rare gems that scattered all over the domain.
II Our language is a burning flame amidst a people that without warning Awoke from the sleep of death like the brave hero of the tales.
III
Our language is made of songs
from our soul’s deepest desires
Flash of lightning striking swiftly
through dark clouds and blue horizons.
IV
Our language is the tongue of bread
when the winds blow through the summer
Uttered by our forefathers who
blessed the country through their labour.
V Our language is the greenest leaf of the everlasting codrii Gentle river Dniester’s ripples hiding starlight bright and shining.
VI
Utter no more bitter cries now
that your language is too poor
And you will see with what abundance
flow the words of our precious country.
VII
Our language is full of legends
stories from the days of old
Reading one and then another
makes one shudder, tremble and moan.
VIII
Our language is singled out
to lift praises up to heaven
Uttering with constant fervour
truths that never cease to beckon.
IX Our language is more than holy words of homilies of old Wept and sung perpetually in the homesteads of our folks.
X
Resurrect now this our language
rusted through the years that have passed
Wipe off filth and mould that gathered
when forgotten through our land.
XI
Gather now the sparkling stone
catching bright light from the sun
You will see the endless flooding
of new words that overflow.
XII A treasure will spring up swiftly from deep shadows of the past A necklace of rare gems that scattered all over the domain.
Images
Moldovan stamp depicting a Romanian language class. The teacher is explaining the lesson. On the blackboard is written a quatrain from "Limba noastră".
Moldovan stamp bearing the first verses of the anthem.
Mateevici, author of the poem. In the background are written quatrains from "Limba noastră".
A "Limba noastră" social ad in Chișinău (with the word ROMÂNĂ) sprayed onto it.
^The constitution of the Republic of Moldova refers to the country's language as Moldovan, whilst the 1991 Declaration of Independence names the official language Romanian. In December 2013, a decision of the Constitutional Court of Moldova ruled that the Declaration of Independence takes precedence over the Constitution and that the state language is therefore Romanian.[4]
^"20 de ani fără "Deșteaptă-te, române!"". Adevărul. June 2014.
^"De Ziua Limbii Române, "Limba noastră" va răsuna din turnul Primăriei Cluj". Ziua de Cluj. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
^"Poezia "Limba noastră", de Alexei Mateevici, a împlinit un secol". 10tv.md. June 2017.
^"Moldovan court rules official language is 'Romanian,' replacing Soviet-flavored 'Moldovan'"
^"The State Anthem of the Republic of Moldova". Presidency of the Republic of Moldova. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
^"Limba noastră". Poezie. 21 February 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
^"Limba noastră". Versuri si Creatii. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
^"Лимба матернэ — флоаре етернэ". Лимба молдовеняскэ (in Romanian). 24 April 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
^Minahan, James B. (23 December 2009). The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. pp. 468–469. ISBN978-0-313-34497-8.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Limba noastră.
Romanian Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Limba noastră
Wikisource, "Limba noastră", full text of Mateevici's poem (in Romanian)
State Symbols of the Republic of Moldova – The official page of the Republic of Moldova features a page about the flag and anthem, which include vocal and instrumental versions
President's House – The official website of the President of Moldova has a page with information about the anthem. The Romanian version of the page also contains the music score of the anthem.
Moldova: Limba noastră – Audio of the national anthem of Moldova, with information and lyrics (archive link)
"Romanian Nationalism in the Republic of Moldova" by Andrei Panici, American University in Bulgaria, 2002