# Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm

"Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm" is the national anthem of Estonia, originally adopted in 1920.
The lyrics were written by Johann Voldemar Jannsen and are set to a melody composed in 1848 by Fredrik Pacius, which is also that of the Finnish national anthem "Maamme", then the unofficial anthem of the Grand Duchy of Finland. The only differences between the two anthems are their key signature and the repetition of the last four lines of each verse in the Finnish anthem. The melody is also used as an ethnic anthem of the Livonian people, titled "Min izāmō".

## History

The song was first presented to the public as a choral work in the Grand Song Festival of Estonia in 1869 and quickly became a symbol of the Estonian National Awakening.
"Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm" was officially adopted as the national anthem of Estonia in 1920, after the Estonian War of Independence.
In 1944, the Soviet Union occupied Estonia, and "Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm" was subsequently banned by the Soviet government. The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic had its own official regional anthem. However, the Estonians could often hear their former national anthem, as Finland's state broadcaster Yleisradio, whose radio and television broadcasts were received in northern Estonia, played an instrumental version of the Finnish national anthem, identical to this song (except for an additional repetition of the last verse in the Finnish version), at the conclusion of its broadcast every night.

## Lyrics

| Estonian original | IPA transcription |
| Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm, kui kaunis oled sa! Ei leia mina iial teal see suure, laia ilma peal, mis mul nii armas oleks ka, kui sa, mu isamaa! Sa oled mind ju sünnitand ja üles kasvatand; sind tänan mina alati ja jään sull' truuiks surmani, mul kõige armsam oled sa, mu kallis isamaa! Su üle Jumal valvaku mu armas isamaa! Ta olgu sinu kaitseja ja võtku rohkest õnnista, mis iial ette võtad sa, mu kallis isamaa! | [mu ˈi.sɑ.mɑː mu ɤnʲ.nʲ‿jɑ rɤːm ǀ] [kui̯ ˈkɑu̯.nʲis ˈo.let sɑ ǁ] [ei̯ ˈlei̯.ɑ ˈmi.nɑ ˈiː.ɑl teɑ̯l] [seː ˈsuː.re ˈlɑi̯.ɑ ˈil.mɑ peɑ̯l ǀ] [mis mul nʲiː ˈɑr.mɑs ˈo.leks kɑ ǀ] [kui̯ sɑː mu ˈi.sɑ.mɑː ǁ] [sɑ ˈo.let mint ju ˈsynʲ.nʲit̚.tɑnt] [jɑ ˈy.les ˈkɑs.ʋɑt̚.tɑnt ǁ] [sʲint ˈtæ.nɑn ˈmi.nɑ ˈɑ.lɑt̚ʲ.tʲi] [jɑ jæːn sulʲ ˈtruː.iks ˈsur.mɑ.nʲi ǀ] [mul ˈkɤi̯.ke ˈɑrm.sɑm ˈo.let sɑ ǀ] [mu ˈkɑlʲ.lʲis ˈi.sɑ.mɑː ǁ] [su ˈy.le ˈju.mɑl ˈʋɑl.ʋɑk̚.ku] [mu ˈɑr.mɑs ˈi.sɑ.mɑː ǁ] [tɑ ˈol.ku ˈsʲi.nu ˈkɑi̯t.se.jɑ] [jɑ ˈʋɤt.ku ˈroh.kest ˈɤnʲ.nʲis.tɑ ǀ] [mis ˈiː.ɑl ˈet̚ˑ.te ˈʋɤt̚.tɑt sɑ ǀ] [mu ˈkɑlʲ.lʲis ˈi.sɑ.mɑː ǁ] |
| Poetic English translation | Literal English translation |
| My native land, my joy – delight, How fair thou art – how bright! For nowhere in the world around Can ever such a place be found So well belov'd, from sense profound, My native country dear! My tiny crib stood on thy soil, Whose blessings eased my toil. May my last breath be thanks to thee, For true to death I'll ever be, O worthy, most belov'd and fine, Thou, dearest country mine! May God in Heaven thee defend, My own beloved land! May He be guard, may He be shield, For ever bless and guardian wield Protection for all deeds of thine, My own, my dearest land! | My fatherland, my joy and happiness, How beautiful you are! I shall not find such ever In this huge wide world Which would be so dear to me As you, my fatherland! You have given me birth And raised me up; I shall thank you always And remain faithful to you ’til death, To me most beloved are you, My precious fatherland! May God watch over you, My precious fatherland! Let Him be your defender And provide bountiful blessings For whatever you undertake, My precious fatherland! |