National anthem of Moldova

File:몰도바 국가 악보.JPG

Sheet music of "Limba noastră"

File:National Anthem of Moldova (Vocal).ogg

Vocal recording

"" (), known in English as "Our Language", is the national anthem of Moldova. It has been used since 1994 and was officially adopted on 22 July 1995.

For a brief period of time in the early 1990s, the national anthem of Moldova was "Deșteaptă-te, române!", which was and remains the national anthem of Romania. The lyrics were written by Alexei Mateevici (1888–1917) a month before his death. Mateevici contributed significantly to the national emancipation of Bessarabia. The music was composed by Alexandru Cristea.

Lyrics

The focus of "Limba noastră" is language, hence its namesake; in this case, the official language of Moldova, namely Romanian.

The Constitution of Moldova refers to the country's official language as Romanian, and similarly in December 2013, a decision of the Constitutional Court of Moldova ruled that the Declaration of Independence takes precedence over the Constitution and that the state language is therefore Romanian. In Transnistria and by older populations, however, the language is often referred to as Moldovan. Additionally, in Transnistria, the Moldovan Cyrillic alphabet is still used, and the Russian language is spoken by a majority in the region.

The anthem calls for the people to revive the usage of their native language. The poem does not refer to the language by name; it is poetically called "our language".Template:Multiple image

"Limba noastră" is based on a 12-verse poem. For the officially defined national anthem used today, the verses were selected and reorganised into 5 verses of 4 lines each; namely, the first, second, fifth, eighth and twelfth verses, respectively, which are highlighted in bold.

Romanian original	Moldovan Cyrillic alphabet (official in Transnistria)	IPA transcriptionTemplate:Efn

English translation

Russian translationTemplate:Efn (official in Transnistria)

I Our tongue a noble gem bejeweled From ominous shadows of old, A pendant of stones rare and grand That scattered all over our land. II Our language is a fervent flare Amidst a folk who suddenly Awoke from the deadly slumber Like the heroes brave and holy. III Our language a body of songs From the devotions of our soul. A flash of lightning strikes apace Within black clouds, blue horizons. IV Our language is the tongue of bread When the breeze blows through the summer Proclaimed by our forefathers who Blessed the country through their labour. V Our tongue the greenest verdant frond Of our codrii lasting and fond, Our Dniester flows with repose Like a constellation of stars. VI Bemoan not! Thy yammers shall cease That thy tongue's only a mere piece; Yet, abound in words aplenty That scatter o'er our dear country. VII Our language abounds in folklore And legends from the days of yore. Reading and delving into them Renders all aghast and in qualm. VIII Our language is the chosen one For blessing glory in heaven, Acclaiming in endless passion Everlasting faiths that beckon. IX More than heavenly is our tongue Of sacred homilies of old; For aeons lamented and sung All over the motherland heard. X Our language shall one again rise After the passing grieving years, Wash off the rust and grime that grew When left in oblivion our land. XI Round up that brilliant shining stone, And absorb bright light from the sun. Now thou wilt see countless new words That are rushing over our land. XII Apace shall our treasure extend From ominous shadows of old, A pendant of stones rare and grand That scattered all over our land.

Images

• Moldovan stamp depicting a Romanian language class and teacher. The blackboard features a quatrain from "Limba noastră".
  Moldovan stamp depicting a Romanian language class and teacher. The blackboard features a quatrain from "Limba noastră".
• Moldovan stamp bearing the first verses of the anthem.
  Moldovan stamp bearing the first verses of the anthem.
• Mateevici, author of the poem. The background features quatrains from "Limba noastră".
  Mateevici, author of the poem. The background features quatrains from "Limba noastră".
• A "Limba noastră" mural in Chișinău (with the word ROMÂNĂ sprayed onto it).
  A "Limba noastră" mural in Chișinău (with the word ROMÂNĂ sprayed onto it).

External links

• Wikisource, "Limba noastră", full text of Mateevici's poem Template:In lang
• State Symbols of the Republic of Moldova – The official page of the Republic of Moldova features a page about the flag and anthem, which include vocal and instrumental versions
• President's House – The official website of the President of Moldova has a page with information about the anthem. The Romanian version of the page also contains the music score of the anthem.
• Moldova: Limba noastră – Audio of the national anthem of Moldova, with information and lyrics (archive link)
• "Romanian Nationalism in the Republic of Moldova" by Andrei Panici, American University in Bulgaria, 2002