National Anthem Comparison
Moldova vs Romania
2
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
69
69 years apart
✓
Same continent
Comparison Analysis
Moldova and Romania, both Europe nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Moldova's "Our Language" was written in 1917, while Romania's "Awaken, Romanian!" dates to 1848.
Both anthems share themes of Identity and Ancestors / Heritage. Moldova additionally explores Love of homeland, Nature and Resilience, while Romania also touches on Freedom, Battle / War and Revolution.
The emotional tones differ: Moldova's anthem is Proud, while Romania's is Fierce.
Romania's anthem predates Moldova's by 69 years, having been written in 1848 compared to 1917.
Moldova changed its national anthem in 1994, reflecting a shift in the nation's identity or political landscape.
Shared themes
Moldova
🏛 Identity 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage ❤ Love of homeland 🌿 Nature 💪 Resilience
Romania
🕊 Freedom ⚔ Battle / War 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage 🔥 Revolution 🏛 Identity
Shared themes:
🏛 Identity 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage
Metadata
| Moldova | Romania | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1917 | 1848 |
| Adopted | 1994 | 1990 |
| Lyricist | Alexei Mateevici | Andrei Muresanu |
| Composer | Alexandru Cristea | Anton Pann |
| Language | ro | ro |
| Region | Eastern Europe | Eastern Europe |
Lyrics Side by Side
Moldova
Limba noastra
Original
Limba noastră-i o comoară
În adîncuri înfundată,
Un șirag de piatră rară
Pe moșie revărsată.
Limba noastră-i foc, ce arde
Într-un neam, ce fără veste
S-a trezit din somnul de moarte
Ca viteazul din poveste.
Limba noastră-i numai cîntec,
Doina dorurilor noastre,
Roi de fulgere, ce spintec
Nouri negri, nouri denși.
Limba noastră-i graiul pîinii,
Cînd de vînt se mișcă vara;
În rostirea ei bătrînii
Cu sudori sfințit-au țara.
Limba noastră-i frunză verde,
Zbuciumul din codrii veșnici,
Nistrul lin, ce-n valuri pierde
Ai codrilor huci sărbătorești.
Translation
Our language is a treasure
Buried deep in ancient ground,
A string of rare jewels
Scattered across our land.
Our language is a fire, burning
In a people that, without warning,
Has awakened from a deathly sleep
Like the hero of a tale.
Our language is pure song,
The ballad of our longings,
A swarm of lightning bolts that split
Black clouds, thick clouds.
Our language is the voice of bread,
When the wind stirs summer fields;
In its utterance, the elders
Hallowed this land with their sweat.
Our language is a green leaf,
The tumult of eternal forests,
The gentle Dniester, whose waves carry
The festive echoes of the groves.
Romania
Deșteaptă-te, române!
Original
Deșteaptă-te, române, din somnul cel de moarte,
În care te-adânciră barbarii de tirani!
Acum ori niciodată croiește-ți altă soarte,
La care să se-nchine și cruzii tăi dușmani!
Acum ori niciodată să dăm dovezi la lume
Că-n aste mâini mai curge un sânge de roman,
Și că-n a noastre piepturi păstrăm cu fală-un nume
Triumfător în lupte, un nume de Traian!
Înalță-ți lata frunte și caută-n giur de tine,
Cum stau ca brazi în munte voinici sute de mii;
Un glas ei mai așteaptă și sar ca lupi în stâne,
Bătrâni, bărbați, juni, tineri, din munți și din câmpii!
Priviți, mărețe umbre, Mihai, Ștefan, Corvine,
Româna națiune, ai voștri strănepoți,
Cu brațele armate, cu focul vostru-n vine,
"Viață-n libertate ori moarte!" strigă toți.
Translation
Awaken, Romanian, from your deathly sleep,
In which you were plunged by barbarous tyrants!
Now or never, forge yourself a different fate,
To which even your cruel enemies shall bow!
Now or never let us prove to the world
That in these hands there still flows a Roman's blood,
And that in our breasts we proudly bear a name
Triumphant in battles, a name of Trajan!
Raise your broad forehead and look around you,
See how hundreds of thousands of brave men stand like firs on a mountain;
They await but a voice and leap like wolves upon the fold,
Old men, grown men, young men, from mountains and from plains!
Behold, majestic shades, Michael, Stephen, Corvinus,
The Romanian nation, your great-grandchildren,
With armed hands, with your fire in their veins,
"Life in liberty or death!" they all cry out.
Interesting facts
Moldova
- 1. One of the only national anthems in the world dedicated to a language rather than the country itself
- 2. The poem was written during World War I when Mateevici was serving as a military chaplain in the Romanian army
- 3. The anthem replaced the Soviet-era Moldavian SSR anthem and reflects the country's cultural ties to Romania
Romania
- 1. The anthem has 11 stanzas, but only the first two are performed at official events; the remaining verses contain increasingly militant and historically specific references.
- 2. Romania's anthem is one of the few that directly addresses the listener in the imperative mood, literally commanding citizens to awaken, which gives it an unusually urgent tone.
- 3. The melody was composed by Anton Pann, a Romanian folklorist who also compiled the first major collection of Romanian folk music and is buried at a monastery in Bucharest.
Listen
Moldova
Romania
