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Kde domov mj
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Wikipedia article
"'" (; English: "Where My Home Is") is the national anthem of the Czech Republic, written by the composer Frantiek kroup and the playwright Josef Kajetn Tyl.
History
The piece was written as a part of the incidental music to the comedy 'Fidlovaka aneb dn hnv a dn rvaka' (Fidlovaka, or No Anger and No Brawl). It was first performed by Karel Strakat at the Estates Theatre in Prague on 21 December 1834. The original song consists of two verses (see below). Although J. K. Tyl is said to have considered leaving the song out of the play, not convinced of its quality, it soon became very popular among Czechs and was accepted as an informal anthem of a nation seeking to revive its identity within the Habsburg monarchy.
Soon after Czechoslovakia was formed in 1918, the first verse of the song became the Czech part of the national anthem, followed by the first verse of the Slovak song "Nad Tatrou sa blska". The songs reflected the two nations' concerns in the 19th century when they were confronted with the already fervent national-ethnic activism of the Germans and the Hungarians, their fellow ethnic groups in the Habsburg Monarchy. Because of the linguistic and ethnic diversity of the First Republic, official translations were made into Hungarian and German as well.
With the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Czechoslovak anthem was divided as well. While Slovakia extended its anthem by adding a second verse, the Czech Republic's national anthem was adopted unextended, in its single-verse version.
In 1882, Antonn Dvok used 'Kde domov mj' in his incidental music to the Frantiek Ferdinand amberk play 'Josef Kajetn Tyl', Op. 62, B. 125. The overture is often played separately as a concert work entitled 'Domov mj' ('My Home').
Lyrics
Original lyrics (from Fidlovaka, 1834)
{| class="wikitable"!Czech original
!IPA transcription
!Poetic English translation 1
|- style="vertical-align:top; white-space:nowrap;"
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Where my home is, where my home is,
Streams are rushing through the meadows,
Midst the rocks sigh fragrant pine groves,
Orchards decked in spring's array,
Scenes of paradise portray.
And this land of wondrous beauty,
Is the Czech land of my home,
Is the Czech land of my home!
'II'
Where my home is, where my home is,
If, in the heavenly land, you have met
Slender souls in spry bodies,
Of clear mind, vigorous and prospering,
And with a strength that frustrates all defiance,
That is the glorious nation of Czechs
Among the Czechs (is) my home!
Among the Czechs, my home!
|}
=== National anthem of Czechoslovakia 19181992 ===
The first stanza, along with that of the Slovak song Nad Tatrou sa blska which is nowadays the national anthem of Slovakia, became from 1918 to 1992 the national anthem of Czechoslovakia.
{|class="wikitable"
!Czech and Slovak original
!IPA transcription
!English translation
|-
|colspan="3"|'
|- style="vertical-align:top; white-space:nowrap;"
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Water roars across the meadows,
Pinewoods rustle among crags,
The garden is glorious with spring blossom,
Paradise on earth it is to see.
And this is that beautiful land,
The Czech land, my home,
The Czech land, my home!
|-
|colspan="3"|'
|- style="vertical-align:top; white-space:nowrap;"
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There is lightning over the Tatras, thunders wildly beat.
Let's stop them, brethren, after all they'll disappear,
the Slovaks will revive.
Let's stop them, brethren, after all they'll disappear,
the Slovaks will revive.
|}
===Current lyrics (adapted version)===
The following are the lyrics according to Appendix 6 of Czech Act No. 3/1993 Coll., as adapted by Act No. 154/1998 Coll.
{| class="wikitable"
!Czech original
!IPA transcription
!Official English translation
!Poetic English translation
|- style="vertical-align:top; white-space:nowrap;"
|
|
|
Water roars across the meadows,
Pinewoods rustle among rocks,
The orchard is glorious with spring blossom,
Paradise on earth it is to see.
And this is that beautiful land,
The Czech land, my home,
The Czech land, my home!
|
Streams are rushing through the meadows,
Midst the rocks sigh fragrant pine groves,
Orchards decked in spring's array,
Scenes of Paradise portray.
And this land of wondrous beauty,
Is the Czech land, home of mine,
Is the Czech land, home of mine!
|}
Notes
References
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