Nokoreach

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Nokoreach English: Royal Kingdom
National Anthem of	Cambodia
Lyrics	Chuon Nat
Music	F. Perruchot / J. Jekyll
Adopted	1941

"Nokoreach" (Royal Kingdom) is the national anthem of Cambodia. After the royalist party FUNCINPEC defeated the former communists (Cambodian People's Party) in the 1993 elections, the royalist anthem was restored as well. Based on a Cambodian folk tune and written by Chuon Nath, the anthem was originally adopted in 1941 and reconfirmed in 1947, around the time of independence from France. In 1970, the monarchy was abolished, thereby replacing the anthem as well. After the communist victory in 1975, former royalist symbols, including "Nokoreach", were reinstated for a short while. The Khmer Rouge then replaced it with ‎Dap Prampi Mesa Chokchey or Glorious Seventeenth of April. After the royalist forces defeated the communists in 1993, putting an end to their long civil war, the royalist anthem was also restored to Cambodia once more. The title of the anthem is derived from the name of an ancient Khmer kingdom.

[edit] Lyrics

Khmer Lyrics

Som pouk tepda rak sa moha khsath yeung
Oy ben roung roeung doy chey monkol srey soursdey
Yeung Khnom preah ang som chrok Krom molup preah Bar ro mey
Ney preah Noropdey vong Khsat tra del sang preah sat thmr
Kroup Kraung dèn Khmer bor ann thkoeung thkann.

Pra sath sé la kom bang kan dal prey
Kuor oy srmay noeuk dl yuos sak Moha Nokor
Cheat Khmer dauch Thmar kong vong ny lar rung peung chom hor.
Yeung sang Khim por pheap preng samnang robuos Kampuchea.
Moha rth koeut mien you ang veanh hey.

Kroup vath aram lu tè so sap thoeur
Sot doy am no rom lik koun poth sasna
Chol yeung chea neak thioeur thiak smos smak tam bep donn ta
Kong tè thévoda nùng chuoy chrom chrèng phkot phkang pra yoch oy
Dol pra teah Khmer chea Moha Nokor

English translation

Heaven protects our King
And gives him happiness and glory
To reign over our souls and our destinies,
The one being, heir of the Sovereign builders,
Guiding the proud old Kingdom.

Temples are asleep in the forest,
Remembering the splendour of Moha Nokor.
Like a rock the Khmer race is eternal.
Let us trust in the fate of Cambodia,
The empire which challenges the ages.

Songs rise up from the pagodas
To the glory of holy Buddhist faith.
Let us be faithful to our ancestors' belief.
Thus heaven will lavish its bounty
Towards the ancient Khmer country, the Moha Nokor.