Augustinas Žemaitis
April 11th, 2017 - 17:29

This song is based on a famous poem by Maironis, who is regarded as the national poet of Lithuania. Juozas Naujalis was a famous composer of the era.

Generally, the song/poem indirectly describes the feelings of Lithuanians of the National Revival era (late 19th century). It addresses the Lithuanians’ re-learning of their heroic history (Grand Duchy of Lithuania), it mentions the feelings of mostly peasant Lithuanians towards their nature, folk songs as well as the divide between this Lithuanian-speaking peasantry and the noble elite who have adopted Polish language and customs. It also mentions the people who rediscovered their Lithuanian roots. Deep religiousity of Lithuania and the position of the church as an institution that connects Lithuanians (and also justapoxes them against the Russian Imperial regime of the time) is also mentioned.

In general, however, the political things are not mentioned directly in the song, with e.g. words “Russian”, “Polish”, “Catholic”, “National revival” not appearing. Instead, more generic words and symbols are used, such as rues (the national flower).

It is one of the more famous patriotic songs and poems.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY ME (Augustinas Žemaitis):

Beautiful you are, dear fatherland;
A country where in graves heroes are sleeping:
Beautiful you are, for the blueness of your sky!
Dear: so much poverty, so many torments have you suffered.

So nice the valleys of a fast-flowing Dubysa,
The hills are greening (like rues) with forests;
And on these hills all the sisters
Are sorrowfully singing the lovely songs.

There, a content dark Nevėžis
Like a strip it surrounds the green grasslands;
It waves after borrowing a deep channel;
His deep thought is known to the God alone.

So nice your manors, oh fatherland,
Protruding in white from the green gardens!
Yet they forgot the dear language of the fathers
And so they have few ties to our hearts.

So happy are the farmsteads when a lark
Cozily twitters, after rising high above,
Or when the sun is setting and the nice evening
Brings a calm – after sweetly turning silent.

Your churches are glitteting not in their beauty
Not in the richness of their paintings or golds;
They are burning with love, with the power of prayer,
With the living faith of the old ages.

When before a midday Sunday prayer everybody, as agreed,
Sorrowfully sings “Let’s fall on our knees!”
The feelings of a non-believer, opened once again,
Learn to believe from those little kids.

Beautiful you are, dear fatherland;
A country where in graves heroes are sleeping!
Not reasonlessly the men of old have defended you so,
Not reasonlessly the singers praised you so.

ORIGINAL:

Graži tu, mano brangi tėvyne,
Šalis, kur miega kapuos didvyriai:
Graži tu savo dangaus mėlyne!
Brangi: tiek vargo, kančių prityrei.

Kaip puikūs slėniai sraunios Dubysos,
Miškais lyg rūta kalnai žaliuoja;
O po tuos kalnus sesutės visos
Griaudžiai malonias dainas ringuoja.

Ten susimąstęs tamsus Nevėžis
Kaip juosta juosia žaliąsias pievas;
Banguoja, vagą giliai išrėžęs;
Jo gilią mintį težino Dievas.

Kaip puikūs tavo dvarai, tėvyne,
Baltai iš sodų žalių bekyšą!
Tik brangią kalbą tėvų pamynę
Jie mūsų širdis mažai ką riša.

Kaip linksma sodžiuos, kai vyturėlis
Jaukiai pragysta, aukštai iškilęs,
Ar saulė leidžias, ir vakarėlis
Ramumą neša, saldžiai nutilęs.

Bažnyčios tavo ne tiek gražybe,
Ne dailės turtais, ne auksu žiba;
Bet dega meilės, maldos galybe,
Senųjų amžių gyva tikyba.

Kai ten prieš sumą visi sutarę
Griaudžiai užtraukia „Pulkim ant kelių”,
Jausmai bedievio vėl atsidarę
Tikėti mokos nuo tų vaikelių.

Graži tu, mano brangi tėvyne,
Šalis, kur miega kapuos didvyriai!
Ne veltui bočiai tave taip gynė,
Ne veltui dainiai plačiai išgyrė!