Himni i Flamurit

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Himni i Flamurit is the national anthem of Albania. The words were written by the Albanian poet Aleksander Stavre Drenova. The hymn was first published as a poem in Liri e Shqipërisë (in English: Freedom of Albania), an Albanian newspaper in Sofia, Bulgaria in 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" and "E scris pe tricolor unire" which was sung during the communist era in Romania.

[edit] Naming

The original title of the anthem as adopted in 1912 was Betimi mbi flamur (in English: Pledge [to] the flag). In the Albanian constitution the name of the national anthem currently is Rreth Flamurit të Përbashkuar (English: literally United Around the Flag, though sometimes translated as United Around Our Flag), which is also the first verse of the poem. Sometimes the more generic name Himni Kombëtar (National Anthem) is used.

Note: Hymni i Flamurit is also the name of a poem by Fan S. Noli.

[edit] Lyrics and translation

There are two versions of the anthem: a long and a short one. Below is the text for the long version. Strophe 2 is considered as refrain and is repeated at the end. The short version makes use of the first two strophes only and repeats the last two verses of the 2nd strophe. Usually, in sportive events among national teams, the short version is the one officially used. (The original poem has three more strophes that are not part of the anthem.)

Albanian lyrics	Approximate translation
First stanza
Rreth flamurit të përbashkuar Me një dëshir' e një qëllim, Të gjith' atje duke u betuar Të lidhim besën për shpëtim.	United around the flag With one desire and one goal, All of us pledging our honor Making a covenant for salvation.
Second stanza
Prej lufte veç ai largohet Që është lindur tradhëtor, Kush është burrë nuk frikësohet, Po vdes, po vdes si një dëshmor!	From war abstains only he, Who a traitor is born, The brave one is never daunted, But falls, but falls a martyr to the cause!
Third stanza
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!	Armed we shall remain Defending our fatherland, Our rights we shall not relinquish; Here enemies have no place!
Fourth stanza
Se Zoti vetë e tha me gojë Që kombe shuhen përmbi dhé, Po Shqipëria do të rrojë; Për të, për të luftojmë ne!	For Lord himself hath spoken That nations do vanish on earth, But Albania shall live on, For her, for her we wage war!