Anthems (4) – Russia Again

I’ve been immersed in the Russian national anthem, which I find interesting and appealing for several reasons.  More than other anthems, it makes me think and reflect.  And I’ve been improving my Russian by trying to learn the lyrics.
 

The Russian anthem retains the music of the previous Soviet anthem.  Therefore the current anthem brings to mind the earlier anthem.  This was a point of controversy, but this links the present and the past—perhaps in a provocative way.  But modern Russia is linked to its Soviet past.

The 1944 Soviet anthem mentions Stalin as well as “Great Lenin.”  It alludes to the victory over the Nazi invaders.  It mentions the “will of the people,” and victories, and the people’s glory. 

Not surprisingly, the 1977 Soviet revision dropped the reference to Stalin.  But it also dropped references to the war.  Still, only now did we see overt references to Communism (unless my sources are wrong).  For example:

“The Party of Lenin, the strength of the people/Leads us to the triumph of Communism!”  And:  “In the victory of the immortal ideas of Communism/We see the future of our country.”

With this backdrop, we come to the current Russian anthem, beginning with references to “our sacred homeland” and “our beloved country.”  It goes on to mention “Age-old union of fraternal peoples/Ancestor-given wisdom of the people!”

Beautiful stuff!  It continues with references to the vast and varied geography of the country:  “From the southern seas to the polar lands/Spread are our forests and fields./You are unique in the world, one of a kind.”

Finally, it becomes more personal and human:  “Wide spaces for dreams and for living
Are opened for us by the coming years.”

So it has dropped the overt political propaganda of the 1977 Soviet anthem and instead combined patriotism, geography, and humanity.  Not bad for an anthem!  Almost ideal!

And yet—the first verse proclaims the Russian heritage will be “a mighty will, a great glory.”  I’m not convinced that this is ideal.  The second verse mentions “this sacred land protected by God.”  This, of course, was a bone of contention for the remaining atheist communists—and raises questions about the role of religion in modern Russia (but then, religion—meaning Orthodox Christianity—had always had a strong role in Russia).  The third verse proclaims:  “Our strength is derived through our loyalty to the Fatherland./Thus it was, thus it is and thus it always will be!”  That last phrasing is taken from religion; but—probably because I am an American—the idea that strength comes from loyalty to the country somehow bothers me.  American tend to distrust governments.  But then again governments are distinct from countries.

What is the purpose of a national anthem, after all?  And who is it written for?  The current Russian anthem is pretty remarkable.