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| "Za Ukrainu" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Sokoly | |
| Language | Ukrainian |
| English title | "For Ukraine" |
| Released | 1917 |
| Genre | Patriotic song |
| Composer | Yaroslav Yaroslavenko |
| Lyricist | Mykola Voronyi |
"Za Ukrainu" (Ukrainian:За Україну,lit. 'For Ukraine') is a Ukrainian patriotic song. In 1991 was a candidate to be adopted as the anthem ofUkraine.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| "Za Ukrainu" song performed by Ukrainian musicians | |
 Chorea Kozacky | |
| Veryovka ensemble |
The song was written byMykola Voronyi, a prominent Ukrainian poet, civil activist, politician, and one of the founders of theCentral Rada.[1] Voronyi was from a former serf-peasant family and was eventually murdered by the Soviet regime as asocially dangerous element.[2] He was posthumously rehabilitated by the Kirovohrad Oblast Court.[2]
Voronyi's text was first published in 1917 in theKyiv newspaperNarodna Volia ("People's Freedom"), an organ of theUkrainian Socialist-Revolutionary Party, which supported the course of achieving political autonomy for Ukraine taken by theCentral Rada. The text containsrevolutionary motives such as breaking of chains, struggle for popular freedom and brotherhood of nations. The latter one was especially actual for Ukrainians, who had to fight each other as parts of theAustro-Hungarian andRussian armies.[3]
Voronyi's poem soon crossed thefrontline, and became popular among Ukrainian soldiers inAustria-Hungary. This could have been a result offraternization between soldiers on both sides of the front, during the course of which servicemen from opposing sides would exchange newspapers. It is known that such occurrences were widespread during April 1917 in the vicinity ofBerezhany, where positions of opposing armies were located especially close to each other. As a result, less than six months after the original publication, Voronyi's poem was printed in a calendar issued by theUkrainian Sich Riflemen and in a newspaper published by theUnion for the Liberation of Ukraine inVienna.[3]
In 1922 Voronyi's poem was for the first time published with notes, without mention of the composer, as part of a collection of songs performed by the 1st Galician Corps of theUkrainian Galician Army, which had fought at the frontlines of thePolish-Ukrainian War.[3] Two similar melodies on a lyrics by Mykola Voronyi "For Ukraine!" were created by Lviv composersBohdan Vakhnianyn (1886-1940) andYaroslav Yaroslavenko (1880-1958). The melody performed nowadays slightly differs from both of them.[4]
The song was popular among soldiers of the Ukrainian Army in thestruggle against the Soviets. During the early 1990s it was popularized by the Ukrainian folk-bandSokoly led by Ivan Matsyalko fromLviv Oblast. The song also is considered to be an unofficial alternative Ukrainian anthem. In 1991 it was included into the official school curriculum in Ukraine. It is traditionally performed during official events and on solemn occasions.[3]
| Ukrainian original | Ukrainian Latin alphabet | English translation |
|---|---|---|
За Україну Приспів: Ганебні пута Приспів О, Україно! Приспів Вперед же, браття! Приспів | Za Ukrainu Pryspiv: Hanebni puta Pryspiv O, Ukraino! Pryspiv Vpered že, brattia! Pryspiv | For Ukraine Chorus: The shameful bonds Chorus Oh, Ukraine, Chorus Then, charge, oh brothers! Chorus |
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| Unofficial | ||
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