National Anthem Comparison
Cyprus vs Greece
3
Shared themes
✓
Same mood
0
0 years apart
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Same continent
Comparison Analysis
Cyprus and Greece, both Europe nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Cyprus's "Hymn to Liberty" was written in 1823, while Greece's "Hymn to Liberty" dates to 1823.
Both anthems share themes of freedom, battle / war and ancestors / heritage.
Both anthems carry a fierce tone, creating a similar emotional register despite their geographic distance.
Both anthems share the same lyricist: Dionysios Solomos, linking the two nations through a common poetic voice.
Shared themes
Cyprus
🕊 Freedom ⚔ Battle / War 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage
Greece
🕊 Freedom ⚔ Battle / War 💪 Resilience 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage
Shared themes:
🕊 Freedom ⚔ Battle / War 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage
Metadata
| Cyprus | Greece | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1823 | 1823 |
| Adopted | 1966 | 1865 |
| Lyricist | Dionysios Solomos | Dionysios Solomos |
| Composer | Nikolaos Mantzaros | Nikolaos Mantzaros |
| Language | el | el |
| Region | Southern Europe | Southern Europe |
Lyrics Side by Side
Cyprus
Ύμνος εις την Ελευθερίαν
Original
Σε γνωρίζω από την κόψη
Του σπαθιού την τρομερή,
Σε γνωρίζω από την όψη,
Που με βία μετράει τη γη.
Απ’ τα κόκκαλα βγαλμένη
Των Ελλήνων τα ιερά,
Και σαν πρώτα ανδρειωμένη,
Χαίρε, ω χαίρε, ελευθεριά!
Translation
I recognize you by the dreadful edge
of the sword,
I recognize you by the gaze
that surveys the earth with force.
Risen from the sacred bones
of the Greeks,
and valiant as before,
hail, oh hail, Liberty!
Greece
Ύμνος εις την Ελευθερίαν
Original
Σε γνωρίζω από την κόψη
του σπαθιού την τρομερή,
σε γνωρίζω από την όψη
που με βία μετράει τη γη.
Απ' τα κόκκαλα βγαλμένη
των Ελλήνων τα ιερά,
και σαν πρώτα ανδρειωμένη,
χαίρε, ω χαίρε, Ελευθεριά!
Translation
I recognize you by the dreadful edge
of the sword,
I recognize you by the gaze
that surveys the earth with force.
Risen from the sacred bones
of the Greeks,
and valiant as before,
hail, oh hail, Liberty!
Interesting facts
Cyprus
- 1. Cyprus and Greece share the exact same national anthem, one of the few cases in the world
- 2. The original poem has 158 stanzas, which is why the Hymn to Liberty is sometimes described as the longest national anthem in the world
- 3. Only the first two stanzas are used as the official anthem
Greece
- 1. Greece and Cyprus share the same national anthem; Cyprus adopted it in 1966.
- 2. Solomos wrote the poem on Zakynthos, and Mantzaros came from Corfu; both islands then belonged to the United States of the Ionian Islands, a British protectorate that was united with Greece only in 1864.
- 3. Mantzaros dedicated his setting to King Otto, who awarded him the Silver Cross of the Order of the Redeemer; yet during Otto's reign (1832-1862) Greece used an anthem sung to the tune of 'God Save the King', and the Hymn to Liberty was adopted only after Otto was deposed.
Listen
Cyprus
Greece
