The State Anthem of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic was the national anthem of Armenia when it was a republic of the Soviet Union and known as the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. It was used between 1944 and 1991. Its music was composed by Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian, and the lyrics were written by Sarmen. Along with the Anthem of the Estonian SSR, it is one of the only two SSR anthems without an intro.
Upon independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the newly independent Armenia adopted its previous anthem "Mer Hayrenik" in its place, though there has been occasional debate about restoring the music of the anthem of the Armenian SSR with different lyrics as the national anthem.
Lyrics
Post-Stalinist version
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|<poem>I
O free land of Soviet Armenia,
You've traversed many cruel centuries,
Your brave sons have fought for you,
To become the motherland of Armenians.
<small>Chorus:</small>
Be forever glorious, Soviet Armenia,
You are industrious, you have forged buildings.
With the peoples' unshakeable holy alliance:
You flourish and create a bright future.
II
Immortal Lenin gave us an unrelenting fervour,
A dawn of fortune shone upon us,
The October Revolution saved us from destruction
And gave us a new, happy and glorious life.
<small>Chorus</small>
III
Great Russia lent us a fraternal hand,
We've built a strong, new state.
Our Leninist party victoriously
And wisely leads us to communism.
<small>Chorus</small></poem>
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Original version
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!Armenian original
!Transliteration
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|<poem>I
O free land of Soviet Armenia,
You've traversed many cruel centuries,
Our brave ancestors have fought for you,
To become the motherland of Armenians.
<small>Chorus I:</small>
Be forever glorious, hero of Armenia,
You are a brilliant forger of buildings,
With Stalin's holy alliance of the people,
You flourish and create a bright future.
II
Immortal Lenin gave us an unrelenting fervour,
A dawn of fortune shone upon us,
Great Stalin from destruction saved us
And gave us a new, free and glorious life.
<small>Chorus II:</small>
Be forever glorious, reborn Armenia,
You are a brilliant forger of buildings,
With Stalin's holy alliance of the people,
You flourish and create a bright future.
III
Great Russia lent us a fraternal hand,
We've built a strong and new state,
No enemy can bring to its knees
Our ancient unshakeable people.
<small>Chorus III:</small>
Be forever glorious, Soviet Armenia,
You are a brilliant forger of buildings,
With Stalin's holy alliance of the people,
You flourish and create a bright future.</poem>
|}
Restoration attempts
The anthem has always maintained simultaneous public support and displeasure in Armenia. while others have stated that singing "Mer Hayrenik" itself has carried too much sorrow throughout the 20th and 21st centuries and that a more joyous alternative should be chosen. In 2019, National Assembly vice-speaker Alen Simonyan claimed that most Armenians do not like the current anthem. In early 2006, a competition for a new anthem was held by Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan. The competition received 85 entries, and in August the commission shortlisted five, which did not include "Mer Hayrenik" but included a proposal with the music of the anthem of the Armenian SSR and lyrics by Armen Soghomonyan. the results of the competition were eventually scrapped in October, after strong opposition from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (or "Dashnaks"), then a member of the ruling coalition, throughout over the selection of a Soviet-era song. The government instead adopted a draft law that would keep "Mer Hayreniq" as the anthem for at least one more year.
In 2015, Chairman of the Composers' Union of Armenia Aram Satyan criticised the current Armenian anthem's sad impression and stated that the tone of the music should rise and become upbeat in the process. He stated, "In the case of other nations’ anthems we see some grandeur as it rises to the space, and ours on the contrary is directed to the earth… We can restore Aram Khachaturian’s music or use the Hayastan song composed by Gabriel Yeranyan in 2012."
In 2018, the House-Museum of Aram Khachaturian proposed for the national anthem to be changed to one based on the music of that of the Armenian SSR, composed by Khachaturian. This petition was not supported at the time in Armenia, which was dealing with the 2018 Armenian protests and revolution. A member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation again expressed strong opposition to the idea.
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!English translation
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|<poem>I
Holy Land of Araratian Armenia,
For centuries you've crossed brutal pathways.
By the holy blood of your martyred sons,
You're always a glorious motherland to all Armenians!
<small>Chorus:</small>
Glory to you always, hearth of Noah, Armenia,
In your divine wisdom, in your creative–genius!
By the blessed, steadfast sword of Saint Vardan,
You live on and on, forever and ever.
II
Sealed by immortality of Christ the Lord,
The kingdom's doors are open to us.
Delivered to us from dark yokes,
We've proved our identity for ages.
<small>Chorus</small>
III
In this holy land, where once was a paradise,
We've edified our firm, unbending image,
Facing death with conscious heroism,
Marching through to eternal life.
<small>Chorus</small></poem>
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Notes
References
External links
- Instrumental recording in MP3 format (Full version)
- Instrumental recording in MP3 format (Short version)
- Original version (1946–1956) (Vocal) (archive link)