"" (; 'National Song') or "" ('Anthem of Lithuania'), also known by its incipit "" ('Lithuania, Our Homeland'),
The poem described the heroic past of Lithuania and exhorted its people to care for the land, care for humanity, and live in honor. Kudirka also urged the country to become a source of enlightenment and virtue. Without a melody, Kudirka took the time to compose the music just before dying of tuberculosis. Both the melody and the lyrics were printed in Varpas in September 1898. Upon his death in 1899, Kudirka's tomb was engraved with the second stanza of the anthem (later destroyed by the authorities).
The third stanza's second part says "Ir šviesa, ir tiesa / Mūs žingsnius telydi" (Both light and truth / Lead our steps). Kudirka, who spent two years in the Sejny Priest Seminary, knew the Traditional Latin Mass texts, which start with Psalm 43 (Iudica me Deus), where the third stanza of the prayer says "O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me". Thus, Kudirka subtly paraphrased a part of the Bible and the Catholic Mass into the Lithuanian national anthem.
In 1942–1943, during the German occupation of Lithuania during World War II, when the German occupation authorities criticized the singing of non-religious hymns, namely the Lithuanian national anthem, in Catholic churches, the word "sun" in the Lithuanian anthem was replaced with God. This was done particularly in the St. Johns' Church in Vilnius, where Fr. preached his sermons.
On 22 October 1991, the Reconstituent Seimas deputies , Alfonsas Svarinskas, Virgilijus Čepaitis, Romualda Hofertienė ir Albertas Miškinis unsuccessfully proposed to replace the mention of sun with God.
Albinas Kurtinaitis claims that Kudirka's first draft in late 1897 mentioned God instead of the sun, but that Kudirka was allegedly convinced by his atheist colleagues from the Varpas newspaper and in March 1898 he changed the mention of God to sun in order to be more inclusive.
History
thumb|The notes of the anthem adapted for piano. Published by the composer [[Aleksandras Kačanauskas, circa 1906.]]
Pre-independent Lithuania
Before Kudirka's death, the first performance of the poem occurred in 1899 at a concert in St. Petersburg, Russia. The concert was conducted by Česlovas Sasnauskas and was attended by Lithuanians, which St. Petersburg had the largest population of at that time. The anthem was first performed in Lithuania during the Great Seimas of Vilnius on 3 December 1905.
Independent Lithuania
thumb|upright=1.5|A booklet by [[Juozas Tallat-Kelpša with the national anthem of Lithuania. Published during the interwar period.]]
When Lithuania declared its independence from Russia in 1918, the song was declared the national anthem. It held this status until Lithuania was annexed into the Soviet Union during World War II. During the interwar period, there had been suggestions to modify the words to include a reference to God. It was decided, in Kudirka's memory, that the lyrics should remain as he had written them.
Usage in German-occupied Lithuania
In 1942, between May 9 and May 12, the Marijampolė Commissariat took 580 young men as labour for the German Army Transportation Service. At the barracks, about 3,000–4,000 appeared, about two thirds of women and girls, and began to shout out: "We are not Germans, do not go to the front." At that time, about 70% of the troops returned to the barracks yard to support the demonstration as well as students from the Marijampole Teachers Seminary and the Marijampole Gymnasium. The demonstrators sang Lithuanian liberation songs and "Tautiška giesmė". When threatened with a fight by several insufficiently armed local commando soldiers, the protest turned violent with members of the crowd breaking some windows. Finally, the crowd gathered on the street to walk to the city. In that direction, the soldiers of the Wehrmacht stoned the truck.
While singing the national anthem, the Lithuanian policemen paid homage, and weighed on two of them. The soldiers of the 1st Police Battalion in the Marijampolė were completely passive, with regard, to the crowd.
Usage during the Soviet occupation
1940–1941
Immediately following the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, the government of the Lithuanian SSR published a new constitution, the Stalinist Constitution of the Lithuanian SSR, that regulates the usage of the new flag and the new coat of arms as a symbol of the socialist identity. However, in this constitution, there was no regulations on a regional anthem for the Lithuanian SSR. According to Soviet custom, all of the republics of the Soviet Union had the "Internationale" translated into their own language as regional anthems.
The officially-introduced "Internationale" in Lithuania was unpopular and the majority of the population of Lithuania disliked it as most Lithuanians then still remembered the "Tautiška giesmė" as being their actual national anthem. This was particularly evident when the authorities gathered all of the teachers in 14–15 August 1940 at the Lithuanian Teachers' Congress in Kaunas. The congress was attended by more than 10,000 primary and secondary school teachers and high school lecturers. Of all the speakers, only the Prime Minister of Lithuania, Vincas Krėvė-Mickevičius, reminded the audience of the Lithuanian national anthem, concluding his speech: "Light and truth all along, guide our steps forever." At the end of the congress the orchestra began playing the Internationale. A teacher began to sing the Tautiška Giesmė. Other teachers joined in singing the anthem, and shortly all of the teachers that attended the congress sang along, thus publicly testifying about "their determination to serve their homeland, but not the occupier". Inspired by them, the orchestra followed them standing.
1944–1950
thumb|The anthem of the USSR and the Lithuanian SSR in 1946, before Tautiška giesmė was banned by the Soviet authorities.
The issue about the anthem was raised again after the re-occupation of the Baltic States, after Lithuania was forcibly re-incorporated into the USSR as the Lithuanian SSR. A new anthem of the USSR was made, and the lyrics of the anthem were translated to the languages of the USSR republics. The original plan was to use the translated anthem as the temporary anthem, until a new, more socialist anthem was made.
During the translation process, Antanas Venclova as the translator, expressed worries over the lyrics. The lyrics mentioned Великая Русь (), which he translated to Didžiosios Rusios. He feared that the part of the lyrics would be badly accepted in Lithuania, because the lyrics showed the superiority of the Russian nation in Lithuania, and the spirit of national revival that was suppressed after the occupation of Lithuania. The translation of the anthem itself was submitted on 5 January 1944, and was approved two days later.
With the offer from the USSR government, the question of the Lithuanian anthem was re-discussed. The first proposal of the anthem was the song "Mes su Stalinu" ('We Are with Stalin'), which was proposed by G. Alexandrov to Kazys Preikšas. Other proposals proposed by G. Alexandrov was Tautiška giesmė, and other popular songs, including a poem by Petras Vaičiūnas "Ei, pasauli, mes be Vilniaus nenurimsime".
1950–1988
Even though Tautiška giesmė was used as the national anthem of the Lithuanian SSR for six years, the anthem ended up being banned in the Lithuanian SSR after the introduction and the approval of the new anthem. During this period, the "Tautiška giesmė" became a symbol of national resistance to the Soviet Union. The anthem was often sung at various festivities in families and in small gatherings of trusted people.
1988–1990
thumb|upright=1.2|[[First day cover of the 1992 Summer Olympics, with the first stanza of the anthem.]]
On 6 October 1988, "Tautiška giesmė" was approved as a replacement for the State Anthem of the Lithuanian SSR. The preliminary approval was made by the Supreme Soviet of the Lithuanian SSR and successive legislative bodies.
Current status
The status of "Tautiška giesmė" as the national anthem of the Lithuanian Republic was reconfirmed in 1992. In that year, the Constitution of Lithuania was approved; Article 19 of the document states that Tautiška giesmė will be the national anthem of Lithuania. The last law in relation to the national anthem was passed in 1999; it contained the official lyrics and protocol on how and when to play the anthem.
1999 law
thumb|[[Commemorative stamp issued by Lietuvos paštas in 1998, for the 100th anniversary of Tautiška giesmė.]]
Signed into law by President Valdas Adamkus on 9 June 1999, the "Law on the National Anthem of the Republic of Lithuania" details when and where the national anthem is played and its performance protocols.
Article 2 of the law states that the anthem is to be played at the following occasions: At the beginning or ending of solemn sessions of the Seimas, on national holidays and memorial days, and at receptions and farewells of foreign heads of state on official visits to Lithuania—but only after the anthem of the foreign country has been played.
It is played in foreign countries to represent Lithuania, according to their own diplomatic protocols; on national holidays and other days when the flag is raised by order of the government; when the flag is raised during public events sponsored by governmental institutions, business, and organizations; and at the beginning and end of National Radio programming. The anthem may also be played at other occasions, such as sporting competitions.
!IPA transcription
!English translation
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