National Anthem

I've been quite bad at keeping this blog up-to-date lately, neglecting to write about recent discoveries, our Thanksgiving gathering with my Scottish cousins, and all the fascinating things we've learned about Jessee's family tree.  But I just returned from a visit home where I had a really moving interaction with Machute, my Lithuanian grandmother.

For about as long as I can remember, there has been a tapestry hanging in my grandparents house with a few short verses of Lithuanian writing.  Actually, I believe Tevukus brought it home from his first return visit to Lithuania after the 1990 restoration of independence.  I've been curious in the past about what it says, so when Machute began to explain it on this visit, I quickly switched on my audio recorder.  This is what she said:

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According to the wikipedia entry, the poem was written in 1898 when Lithuania was still a subject of the Russian Empire, right around the time that my Lithuanian ancestors emigrated to Scotland.  I know the Czar had forbidden the Lithuanian language and culture, so it must have been viewed as subversive.  It was adopted as the official national anthem in 1919, after the collapse of the Empire and shortly before my branch of the family returned to Lithuania.  That was only a couple years before Machute was born, so she would have grown up knowing the song, and it certainly would have had significant meaning to her.  When the Soviets annexed and re-occupied Lithuania in 1940, the song was banned again.  Machute was there when that happened and lived under it for at least a few years (I'm quite sure she was still there in 1943).  Until the 1990 independence, the song would have represented much of what had been lost, nationally, but also personally for my grandparents.  It's no wonder that it has such significance and is so emotional for her to read.

These are the lyrics:

Lithuanian Lietuva, Tėvyne mūsų, Tu didvyrių žeme, Iš praeities Tavo sūnūs Te stiprybę semia. Tegul Tavo vaikai eina Vien takais dorybės, Tegul dirba Tavo naudai Ir žmonių gėrybei. Tegul saulė Lietuvoj Tamsumas prašalina, Ir šviesa, ir tiesa Mūs žingsnius telydi. Tegul meilė Lietuvos Dega mūsų širdyse, Vardan tos, Lietuvos Vienybė težydi!

Official English Lithuania, our homeland, Land of heroes! Let your sons draw their strength From our past experience Let your children always follow Only roads of virtue, May your own, mankind’s well-being Be the goals they work for May the sun above our land Banish darkening clouds around Light and truth all along Guide our steps forever May the love of Lithuania Brightly burn in our hearts. For the sake of this land Let unity blossom.

And with those words, we are both very excited to be Lithuanian.