How Glorious Is Our Lord in Zion

Коль славен наш Господь в Сионе
English: How Glorious Is Our Lord in Zion
	Former national anthem of Russia
Lyrics	Mikhail Kheraskov
Music	Dmitry Bortniansky
Adopted	1790
Readopted	1918
Relinquished	1816, 2023
Preceded by	"Let the Thunder of Victory Rumble!" (1798); "The Internationale" (1918)
Succeeded by	"The Prayer of Russians" (1816); "The Internationale" (1920)
Audio sample
	Duration: 1 minute and 22 seconds.1:22 How Glorious Is Our Lord in Zion file; help;

"How is Glorious Is Our Lord in Zion" (Russian: Коль слáвен наш Госпóдь в Сиóне, romanized: Kol' slaven nash Gospod' v Sione) is a hymn written in the spring of 1794 by the composer Dmitry Bortniansky to the verses of the poet Mikhail Kheraskov. It was the unofficial anthem of the Russian Empire in the late 18th - early 19th centuries.

The first public performance took place on 29 November 1798 during the ceremony of laying on the Russian Emperor Paul I the crown and other regalia of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John in the Winter Palace,^[1] and since 1801 the anthem actually supplanted the previously performed "Let the Thunder of Victory Rumble!".^[2] In 1816 it was replaced by the officially approved composition "The Prayer of Russians". From 1856 to October 1917, the chimes of the Spasskaya Tower in the Moscow Kremlin rang out the melody of the anthem. Also, before the October Revolution, it was performed by the chimes of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, and in 2003 it was restored in honor of the celebration of the anniversary of Saint Petersburg.^[3] In 1918–1920, "If glorious" was the anthem of the Russian State, and later continued to be popular among the first wave of emigrants. During the Great Patriotic War, it was performed at the official meetings of the KONR, in fact it was the anthem of the ROA.^[4] In the modern Russian Federation, it is performed in military ceremonies when honoring - at the opening of monuments, farewell to servicemen and at burial.^[5]

The text of the hymn is based on the 48th Psalm and is replete with Christian symbolism, and its music is close to individual Voices of the Great Znamenny Chant.

The melody of the anthem was used in a German song to the lyrics Ich bete an die Macht der Liebe [de] ("I pray to the power of love") by Gerhard Tersteegen. Also, the music of the anthem was used by the composer G. Beck when writing the anthem of the Jewish Socialist Party Bund "Di Shvue".^[6]

Lyrics[edit]

Original Russian	Modern Russian	Transliteration	English translation
Коль славенъ нашъ Господь въ Сіонѣ, Не можетъ изъяснить языкъ. Великъ Онъ въ Небесахъ на тронѣ, Въ былинкахъ на землѣ великъ. Вездѣ, Господь, вездѣ Ты славенъ, Въ нощи, во дни Сіяньемъ равенъ. Тебя Твой Агнецъ златорунной Въ себе изображаетъ намъ; Псалтырью мы десятострунной Тебѣ приносимъ ѳиміамъ. Прими отъ насъ благодаренье, Какъ благовонное куренье. Ты солнцемъ смертныхъ освѣщаешь, Ты любишь, Боже, насъ какъ чадъ, Ты насъ трапезой насыщаешь И зиждешь намъ въ Сiонѣ градъ. Ты грѣшныхъ, Боже, посѣщаешь И плотiю Твоей питаешь. О Боже, во Твое селенье Да внидутъ наши голоса, Да взыдетъ наше умиленье, Къ Тебѣ, какъ утрення роса! Тебѣ въ сердцахъ алтарь поставимъ, Тебя, Господь, поемъ и славимъ!	Коль славен наш Господь в Сионе, Не может изъяснить язык. Велик Он в Небесах на троне, В былинках на земле велик. Везде, Господь, везде Ты славен, В нощи, во дни Сияньем равен. Тебя Твой Агнец златорунной В себе изображает нам; Псалтырью мы десятострунной Тебе приносим фимиам. Прими от нас благодаренье, Как благовонное куренье. Ты солнцем смертных освещаешь, Ты любишь, Боже, нас как чад, Ты нас трапезой насыщаешь И зиждешь нам в Сионе град. Ты грешных, Боже, посещаешь И плотию Твоей питаешь. О Боже, во Твое селенье Да внидут наши голоса, Да взыдет наше умиленье, К Тебе, как утрення роса! Тебе в сердцах алтарь поставим, Тебя, Господь, поем и славим!	Kol' slaven nash Gospod' v Sione, Ne mozhet izyasnit' yazyk. Velik On v Nebesakh na trone, V bylinkakh na zemle velik. Vezde, Gospod', vezde Ty slaven, V noshchi, vo dni Siyan'yem raven. Tebya Tvoy Agnets zlatorunnoy V sebe izobrazhayet nam; Psaltyr'yu my desyatostrunnoy Tebe prinosim fimiam. Primi ot nas blagodaren'ye, Kak blagovonnoye kuren'ye. Ty solntsem smertnykh osveshchayesh', Ty lyubish', Bozhe, nas kak chad, Ty nas trapezoy nasyshchayesh' I zizhdesh' nam v Sione grad. Ty greshnykh, Bozhe, poseshchayesh' I plotiyu Tvoyey pitayesh'. O Bozhe, vo Tvoye selenye Da vnidut nashi golosa, Da vzydet nashe umilen'ye, K Tebe, kak utrennya rosa! Tebe v serdtsakh altar' postavim, Tebya, Gospod', poyem i slavim!	How glorious our Lord is on Zion, The tongue can not express. He’s great in Heavens on the throne, In blades of grass on earth He is great. Oh Lord, Thou art Glorious everywhere, At night, by day Thy shining is the same. Thy lamb with golden fleece Symbolizes Thee for us; With ten-strings psaltery We burn incense for Thee. Accept our thanksgiving As a fragrant offering. Thou illume mortals by the sun, Thou love us, God, as your children, Thou satiate us with blessed meal And create for us a city on Zion. Thou, oh God, visit the sinners And nourish them with Thy flesh. Oh God, let our voices Enter Thy dwelling, And let our tender sense Rise to Thee like morning dew! For Thee with heart we’ll raise an altar, For Thee we sing and glorifying!

External links[edit]

How Glorious Is Our Lord in Zion (Cyrillic script, romanization and english translation)

References[edit]

[1] "Всё о гимне. Александр Алиев". 11 March 2014.

[2] "Коль славен наш Господь в Сионе, русская энциклопедия "Традиция"". 9 October 2013.

[3] ""Знаменитый Гимн Бортнянского - духовный Гимн России. Всё о гимне "Коль славен" Д.С. Бортнянского", Константин Ковалев-Случевский".

[4] "Обнародывание Манифеста КОНР в Берлине 18 ноября 1944 г." 17 December 2013.

[5] "Устав ГиКС, глава 12".

[6] "G. Beck, Sz. A. An-ski - Di shvue (1902, гимн Бунда, союза еврейских рабочих Польши, Литвы и России, с нотами)".

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