National Anthem Comparison
Croatia vs Serbia
1
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
37
37 years apart
✓
Same continent
Comparison Analysis
Croatia and Serbia, both Europe nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Croatia's "Our Beautiful Homeland" was written in 1835, while Serbia's "God of Justice" dates to 1872.
Both anthems share themes of identity. Croatia additionally explores nature, love of homeland and ancestors / heritage, while Serbia also touches on god / faith, freedom, unity and resilience.
The emotional tones differ: Croatia's anthem is proud, while Serbia's is prayerful.
Croatia's anthem predates Serbia's by 37 years, having been written in 1835 compared to 1872.
Serbia changed its national anthem in 2006, reflecting a shift in the nation's identity or political landscape.
Shared themes
Croatia
🌿 Nature ❤ Love of homeland 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage 🏛 Identity
Serbia
✝ God / Faith 🕊 Freedom 🤝 Unity 💪 Resilience 🏛 Identity
Shared themes:
🏛 Identity
Metadata
| Croatia | Serbia | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1835 | 1872 |
| Adopted | 1972 | 2006 |
| Lyricist | Antun Mihanović | Jovan Đorđević |
| Composer | Josip Runjanin | Davorin Jenko |
| Language | hr | sr |
| Region | Southern Europe | Southern Europe |
Lyrics Side by Side
Croatia
Lijepa naša domovino
Original
Lijepa naša domovino,
Oj junačka zemljo mila,
Stare slave djedovino,
da bi vazda sretna bila!
Mila, kano si nam slavna,
Mila si nam ti jedina.
Mila, kuda si nam ravna,
Mila, kuda si planina!
Teci Dravo, Savo teci,
Nit' ti Dunav silu gubi,
Sinje more svijetu reci,
Da svoj narod Hrvat ljubi.
Dok mu njive sunce grije,
Dok mu hrašće bura vije,
Dok mu mrtve grobak krije,
Dok mu živo srce bije!
Translation
Our beautiful homeland,
Oh dear heroic land,
Ancestral land of ancient glory,
May you be happy forever!
Dear, as you are glorious to us,
Dear you are to us, our only one,
Dear, where your fields are flat,
Dear, where you are mountainous!
Flow on, Drava, Sava flow,
Nor you, Danube, lose your strength,
Azure sea, tell the world
That a Croat loves his people.
While the sun warms his fields,
While the storm wind shakes his oaks,
While the grave hides his dead,
While his living heart still beats!
Serbia
Боже правде
Original
Боже правде, ти што спасе
од пропасти досад нас,
чуј и одсад наше гласе
и од сад нам буди спас.
Моћном руком води, брани
будућности српске брод,
Боже спаси, Боже храни,
српске земље, српски род!
Сложи српску браћу драгу
на свак дичан славан рад,
слога биће пораз врагу
а најјачи српству град.
Нек на српској блиста грани
братске слоге златан плод,
Боже спаси, Боже храни
српске земље, српски род!
Нек на српско ведро чело
твог не падне гнева гром
Благослови Србу село
поље, њиву, град и дом!
Кад наступе борбе дани
к' победи му води ход
Боже спаси, Боже храни
српске земље, српски род!
Из мрачнога сину гроба
српске славе нови сјај
настало је ново доба
Нову срећу, Боже дај!
Отаџбину српску брани
пет вековне борбе плод
Боже спаси, Боже брани
моли ти се српски род!
Translation
God of justice, You who saved us
from ruin until now,
hear our voices from now on
and from now on be our salvation.
With Your mighty hand guide and defend
the ship of the Serbian future,
God save, God protect
the Serbian lands, the Serbian people!
Unite the dear Serbian brothers
in every worthy, glorious deed,
unity will be the enemy's defeat
and the mightiest fortress of the Serbs.
On the Serbian branch let shine
the golden fruit of brotherly unity,
God save, God protect
the Serbian lands, the Serbian people!
Upon the clear Serbian brow
let the thunder of Your wrath not fall,
bless the Serb's village,
field, farmland, town and home!
When the days of struggle come
lead his march to victory,
God save, God protect
the Serbian lands, the Serbian people!
From the dark grave has shone
the new radiance of Serbian glory,
a new age has dawned,
grant new happiness, O God!
Defend the Serbian fatherland,
the fruit of five centuries of struggle,
God save, God defend,
the Serbian people pray to You!
Interesting facts
Croatia
- 1. The words first appeared on 14 March 1835 in the literary paper Danica, as "Horvatska domovina" ("Croatian Homeland"), during the Croatian National Revival
- 2. The melody has often been compared with the duet of Edgardo and Enrico in Act 3 of Donizetti's opera Lucia di Lammermoor (1835); whether Runjanin borrowed from it is still debated
- 3. The official anthem uses adapted versions of the first two and the last two stanzas of Mihanović's poem
- 4. In 1907 the Association of Croatian Singing Societies asked the Croatian Sabor to make the song the state anthem by law; the initiative failed, and it remained Croatia's unofficial anthem until 1972
Serbia
- 1. The anthem is written as a prayer, opening with an appeal to the 'God of justice'.
- 2. It was first performed in 1872 in Đorđević's play Markova sablja, set to music by Davorin Jenko, a Slovene composer then working in Belgrade.
- 3. The official text replaces the royalist lines of the version sung after Serbia became a kingdom in 1882 (the 1872 original hailed a prince): 'the Serbian king' became 'the Serbian lands', 'the Serbian crown' became 'Serbian glory', and 'the Serbian Kingdom' became 'the Serbian fatherland'.
- 4. It has been used again since 2004, was named the national anthem in the 2006 Constitution and was confirmed by an act of the National Assembly in 2009.
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Croatia
Serbia
