It tells about a boy who goes to defend his homeland, meaning him more than his mother or sweetheart. As such, it is a patriotic recruiting poem.[7] It was the first Slovene literature to be translated into English.[8] The lyrics were written originally by Simon Jenko and then improved collaboratively by him and his cousin Davorin Jenko who also wrote the music.[9] The poem was first publicly sung with great success in front of a large Slavic audience on 22 October 1860, and was first published in Slovenski glasnik (English: The Slovene Herald) on 1 December 1860.[1] In 1863, it was renamed by Radoslav Razlag to Naprej, zastava Slave.[10] In 1885, it became the first poem in Slovene to have been translated into English, under the title "With Slava's Banner, Forward!"[11] The translators were Andrej Jurtela, the first lecturer of Slavic languages at the University of Oxford,[12] and English journalist Alfred Lloyd Hardy, who had a keen interest in music and in Slavic culture.[8] He arranged the melody by Davorin Jenko for piano,[13] wrote an interlinear translation and published it lithographed as an independent publication.[8]
The poem was originally titled "Naprej" ("Forward") and set to music in an inn in Vienna's Prater by Davorin Jenko,[notes 2] who was in anger over the German snub of the Slovene, on 16 May 1860.[9]
History
Part of the national anthem of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
In World War II, "Naprej, zastava slave" was the introductory melody of the Kričač radio station, emitted by the Slovene Liberation Front,[15] and was a part of the morning and the evening salutation to the flag by the Slovene Partisans.[16] With the establishment of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia in 1946, the royal Yugoslav anthem was replaced by "Hey, Slavs". The first post-war constitution of the People's Republic of Slovenia and the constitution, adopted in 1963, did not specify a regional anthem. "Naprej, zastava slave" was used at official public events and on state holidays since the beginning of the 1970s. In 1989, it was replaced by "Zdravljica".[3]
Because it calls to the defence of the homeland,[13] it was since 1992 played during ceremonial events and oathtaking ceremonies in the Slovenian Territorial Defence in line with the draft Rules on Service in the Territorial Defence, adopted on 15 April 1992.
Current role
It is the current anthem of the Slovenian Armed Forces,[13] based on a government decree from 1995. It is also played (only rarely sung) for the Commander-in-Chief, i.e. the President of Slovenia. The President has, however, the right to delegate this position to another Slovenian citizen.
Refren:
Naprej zastava slave,
na boj junaška kri
za blagor očetnjave
𝄆 naj puška govori! 𝄇
Z orožjem in desnico,
nesimo vragu grom,
zapisat v kri pravico,
𝄆 ki terja jo naš dom. 𝄇
Refren
Draga mati je prosila,
roke okol vrata vila,
je plakala moja mila,
tu ostani ljubi moj!
Zbogom mati, ljuba zdrava,
mati mi je očetnjava,
ljuba moja čast in slava,
𝄆 hajdmo, hajdmo, zanjo v boj! 𝄇
Refren
Naprej! Naprej!
Chorus:
Onward, banner of glory,
to battle, heroic blood!
for the sake of the motherland
𝄆 let the rifles sound! 𝄇
With weapons on our right,
we bring the wrath of devil
to write in blood the justice
𝄆 that our home demands. 𝄇
Chorus
My dear mother cried,
her arms wrapped around my neck,
my darling was crying,
stay here, my love!
Farewell, mother dear and strong,
my mother is my motherland,
my love, honour and glory,
𝄆 let's go, let's go, fight for her! 𝄇
Chorus
Onward! Onward!
Notes
^The word slava was written uncapitalized by Jenko, despite a popular interpretation that it could refer to the Slavic people in general, Slava being used as a word for Slavs in the 19th century. It was capitalized by public in 1863.[1] Nowadays, it is written with small letters.[2]
^Davorin Jenko also composed the Serbian anthem "Bože pravde" (God of Justice) in 1872.[2]
^ abRupnik, Janko; Cijan, Rafael; Grafenauer, Božo (1993). Ustavno pravo [Constitutional Law] (in Slovenian). Faculty of Law, University of Maribor. p. 51. ISBN978-961-6009-39-3.
^"Državni simboli in znamka Slovenije" [National Symbols and the Trademark of Slovenia] (in Slovenian). Government Communication Office of the Republic of Slovenia. 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
^ abMenart, Janez (1972). "Premislek ob slovenski himni" [Consideration at the Slovene Anthem]. Sodobnost (in Slovenian). 20 (3). Državna založba Slovenije [National Publishing House of Slovenia]: 325. ISSN0038-0482.
^Tomaževič, Blaž (1957). "Motivi in oblika Jenkove poezije" [Motives and the Form of Jenko's Poetry]. Jezik in slovstvo [Language and Literature] (in Slovenian). 2 (2). Slavistično društvo Slovenije [Slavic Society of Slovenia]. ISSN0021-6933. COBISS242784768.
^"Anthem". The Lexicon of Yugoslavia. Archives of Yugoslavia. 2008. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
^"Na današnji dan od 15. 11. 2010 do 21. 11. 2010" [On This Day From 15 November 2010 Until 21 November 2010]. MMC RTV Slovenia: 1. program Radia Slovenija [MMC RTV Slovenia: 1st Program of the Radio Slovenia (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 15 November 2010.
