Himni i Flamurit is the national anthem of Albania. The words were written by the Albanian poet Asdreni (Aleksandër Stavre Drenova) but are merely different from the original Romanian lyrics which Andrei Barseanu wrote for Porumbescu's piece. The hymn was first published as a poem in Liri e Shqipërisë (in English: Freedom of Albania), an Albanian newspaper in Sofia, Bulgaria, on April 21, 1912. It was later printed in a volume of poems by Drenova titled Ëndra e lotë (in English: Dreams and tears), which was published in Bucharest.
The music of the anthem was composed by the Romanian composer Ciprian Porumbescu, originally for the song "Pe-al nostru steag e scris Unire" (or "E scris pe tricolor unire").
Lyrics and translation
There are two versions of the anthem: a long and a short one. Below is the text for the long version. The second stanza is considered as refrain and is repeated at the end. The short version makes use of the first two stanzas only and repeats the last two verses of the 2nd stanza. Usually, in sportive events among national teams, the short version is the one officially used. (The original poem has three more stanzas that are not part of the anthem – which are added at the end.)
Albanian Lyrics
1.Rreth flamurit të përbashkuar
Me një dëshir' e një qëllim,
Të gjith' atij duke iu betuar
Të lidhim besën për shpëtim.
2.Prej lufte veç ai largohet
Që është lindur tradhëtar,
Kush është burrë nuk frikësohet,
Po vdes, po vdes si një dëshmor!
3.Në dorë armët do t'i mbajmë,
Të mbrojmë atdheun në çdo kënd,
Të drejtat tona ne s'i ndajmë;
Këtu armiqtë s'kanë vënd!
4.Se Zoti vetë e tha me gojë
Që kombe shuhen përmbi dhé,
Po Shqipëria do të rrojë;
Për të, për të luftojmë ne!
5.O Flamur, flamur, shenj' e shenjtë
tek ti betohemi këtu
për Shqipërinë, atdheun e shtrenjtë,
për nder' edhe lavdimn e tu.
6.Trim burrë quhet dhe nderohet
atdheut kush iu bë therror.
Përjetë ai do të kujtohet
mbi dhe, nën dhe si një shenjtor!
English Translation
1.Around our flag we stand united,
With one wish and one goal,
A sacred oath we bestow upon it
Proclaiming loyalty for our salvation.
From war abstains only he,
Who a traitor is born,
He who is a true man is not frightened,
But dies a martyr to the cause.
With weapons in our hands a-brandished,
We will defend our fatherland,
Our sacred rights we’ll not relinquish,
The foe has no place in our land
For God himself proclaimed:
The nations of the earth shall wane,
And yet will live, will thrive Albania.
For her our fight won’t be in vain.
O Flag, flag, you sacred symbol
upon you we now swear
for Albania, our dear fatherland
for honour and your commends
Brave man is named and honoured
the one who sacrificed himself for the fatherland
Forever he will be remembered
on earth and under as a saint!
