First World War.com - Vintage Audio

First World War.com - A multimedia history of world war one

Flag of the Russian Empire from 1914-1917 Vintage Audio: God Save The Tsar!
Updated - Sunday, 10 November, 2002

Available here are three versions of the former Russian national anthem, God Save The Tsar! The anthem was selected following a competition in 1833 and was composed by Prince A. V. Lvov, with lyrics by Vasily Zhukovsky. The anthem lasted until the revolution of 1917.

The first two versions of the song available here are by unknown performers and date; it is assumed that both pre-date the start of the First World War in 1914. Click here to listen to the first version (MP3 format 168kb); and click here to listen to the second (MP3 format 327kb). Both are performed without lyrics.

The third version, available here, was performed by Shatrov circa 1903 and contains the song's lyrics.

God Save The Tsar!

Original Russian

Боже, Царя храни!

Сильный, державный,

Царствуй во славу,

Во славу нам!

Царствуй на страх врагам,

Царь православный,

Боже, Царя, Царя храни!

Царя храни!

(repeat previous three lines)

Transliteration

Bozhe Carja hrani!

Sil'nyj, derzhavnyj,

Carstvuj na slavu, na slavu nam!

Carstvuj na strah vragam,

Car' pravoslavnyj.

Bozhe Carja, Carja hrani!

Carja hrani!

(repeat previous three lines)

English Translation

God save the noble Tsar!

Long may he live, in pow'r,

In happiness,

In peace to reign!

Dread of his enemies,

Faith's sure defender,

God save the Tsar!

(repeat)

(repeat previous three lines)

"ANZAC" was coined in 1915 from the initials of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.