God save the Tsar! was the national anthem of Imperial Russia. The song was chosen from a competition held in 1833. The composer was violinist Prince Alexei Fyodorovich Lvov, and the lyrics were by the Romantic court poet Vasily Zhukovsky. It served until 1917, when the Russian Revolution overthrew the Tsarist monarchy and adopted The Internationale as the new national anthem.

The melody can be heard in the 1812 Overture, Hail, Pennsylvania! which is the official state song of Pennsylvania, United States, following God, the Omnipotent! and Firm Bound in Brotherhood, the official song of the Order of the Arrow, uses the same melody with different lyrics.

Russian lyrics

Боже, Царя храни!

Сильный, державный,

Царствуй на славу,

на славу нам!

Царствуй на страх врагам,

( 2x :)

Царь православный,

Боже, Царя, Царя храни!

Царя храни!

Transliteration

Bozhe Tsarya hrani!

Silny, derzhavny,

Tsarstvuy na slavu,

na slavu nam!

Tsarstvuy na strakh vragam,

( 2x :)

Tsar pravoslavny.

Bozhe Tsarya, Tsarya hrani!

Tsarya hrani!

English Translation

O God, save thou the Tsar!

Strong and majestic,

Reign he in glory,

In our glory!

Dread of his enemies,

( 2x :)

The Christian Tsar,

God, save the Tsar, the Tsar!

Save thou the Tsar!

External links

Full text, from Wikisource