Porilaisten marssi
Encyclopedia
Honors music
The honours music for a person, office or rank is music played on formal or ceremonial occasions in the presence of the person, office-holder, or rank-holder, especially by a military band...
of the Finnish Defence Forces
Finnish Defence Forces
The Finnish Defence Forces are responsible for the defence of Finland. It is a cadre army of 15,000, of which 8,900 are professional soldiers , extended with conscripts and reservists such that the standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform...
since 1918, composed by an unknown composer in the 18th century. The original text was written in Swedish by the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg
Johan Ludvig Runeberg
Johan Ludvig Runeberg was a Finnish poet, and is the national poet of Finland. He wrote in the Swedish language....
in his epic poem The Tales of Ensign Stål
The Tales of Ensign Stål
The Tales of Ensign Stål is an epic poem written in Swedish by the Finland-Swedish author Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet of Finland...
. The most commonly used Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
translation was written by Paavo Cajander
Paavo Cajander
Paavo Cajander was a Finnish poet and translator.Cajander was born in Hämeenlinna. He was renowned by translation into Finnish of Shakespeare's works and of Johan Ludvig Runeberg's The Tales of Ensign Stål, whose first verse is currently the Finnish national anthem. He died in...
in 1889, along with Cajander's translation of The Tales of Ensign Stål. The name of the march refers to Pori Brigade
Pori Brigade
The Pori Brigade , based in Huovinrinne, Säkylä, is a Finnish Army unit, part of the Western Command of Finland. It comprises the Satakunta Jaeger Battalion, the West Finland Signals Battalion, and the Satakunta Engineer Battalion...
.
Use
Porilaisten marssi is the honorary marchHonors music
The honours music for a person, office or rank is music played on formal or ceremonial occasions in the presence of the person, office-holder, or rank-holder, especially by a military band...
of the Finnish Defence Forces
Finnish Defence Forces
The Finnish Defence Forces are responsible for the defence of Finland. It is a cadre army of 15,000, of which 8,900 are professional soldiers , extended with conscripts and reservists such that the standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform...
and is played (only rarely sung) for the Commander-in-Chief, i.e. the President of Finland
President of Finland
The President of the Republic of Finland is the nation's head of state. Under the Finnish constitution, executive power is vested in the President and the government, with the President possessing extensive powers. The President is elected directly by the people of Finland for a term of six years....
. The President has, however, the right to delegate this position to another Finnish citizen; the only time this has occurred was during the World War II, when Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim
Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, Commander-in-Chief of Finland's Defence Forces during World War II, Marshal of Finland, and a Finnish statesman. He was Regent of Finland and the sixth President of Finland...
acted as Commander-in-Chief instead of then-President Risto Ryti
Risto Ryti
Risto Heikki Ryti was the fifth President of Finland, from 1940 to 1944. Ryti started his career as a politician in the field of economics and as a political background figure during the interwar period. He made a wide range of international contacts in the world of banking and within the...
. Thus, Ryti is the only President of Finland not to have been Commander-in-Chief at any point of his two terms (1940−1944).
Traditionally, Porilaisten marssi is played in radio or television every time a Finnish athlete wins a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in Olympic games. It is also played on Christmas Eve during the Declaration of Christmas Peace ceremony, which has caused minor controversy due to the violent lyrics of the march –it is, as mentioned, Declaration of Christmas Peace, and the lyrics seem to be a bit pro-war–, even though the lyrics are not sang on the occasion.
Lyrics in Finnish
Translation by Paavo CajanderPaavo Cajander
Paavo Cajander was a Finnish poet and translator.Cajander was born in Hämeenlinna. He was renowned by translation into Finnish of Shakespeare's works and of Johan Ludvig Runeberg's The Tales of Ensign Stål, whose first verse is currently the Finnish national anthem. He died in...
, 1889.
- Pojat, kansan urhokkaan,
- mi Puolan, Lützin, Leipzigin
- ja Narvan mailla vertaan vuoti,
- viel' on Suomi voimissaan,
- voi vainolaisten hurmehella peittää maan.
- Pois, pois rauhan toimi jää,
- jo tulta kohta kalpa lyö
- ja vinkuen taas lentää luoti.
- Joukkoon kaikki yhtykää,
- meit' entisajan sankarhenget tervehtää.
- Kauniina välkkyy muisto urhojemme,
- kuolossa mekin vasta kalpenemme.
- Eespäin rohkeasti vaan,
- ei kunniaansa myö
- sun poikas milloinkaan!
- Uljaana taistolippu liehu,
- voitosta voittohon
- sä vielä meitä viet!
- Eespäin nyt kaikki, taisto alkakaa,
- saa sankareita vielä nähdä Suomenmaa!
Lyrics in Swedish (original)
Johan Ludvig Runeberg, 1860- Söner av ett folk, som blött
- På Narvas hed, på Polens sand, på Leipzigs slätter, Lützens kullar,
- Än har Finlands kraft ej dött,
- Än kan med oväns blod ett fält här färgas rött!
- Bort, bort, vila, rast och fred!
- En storm är lös, det ljungar eld och fältkanonens åska rullar;
- Framåt, framåt led vid led!
- På tappre män se tappre fäders andar ned.
- Ädlaste mål
- Oss lyser på vår bana;
- Skarpt är vårt stål
- Och blöda är vår vana.
- Alla, alla käckt framåt!
- Här är vår sekelgamla frihets sköna stråt.
- Lys högt, du segersälla fana,
- Sliten av strider sen en grånad forntids dar,
- Fram, fram, vårt ädla, härjade standar!
- Än finns en flik med Finlands gamla färger kvar.
Lyrics in English
Translation by unknown, 1901- Sons of a race whose blood was shed,
- On NarvaBattle of Narva (1700)The Battle of Narva on 19 November 1700 was an early battle in the Great Northern War. A Swedish relief army under Charles XII of Sweden defeated a Russian siege force three times its size. Before, Charles XII had forced Denmark-Norway to sign the Treaty of Travendal...
's field; on PolandPolish-Swedish warsThe Polish–Swedish Wars were a series of wars between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden. Broadly construed, the term refers to a series of wars between 1563 and 1721. More narrowly, it refers two particular wars between 1600 and 1629...
's sand; at LeipzigBattle of Breitenfeld (1631)The Battle of Breitenfeld or First Battle of Breitenfeld , was fought at the crossroads villages of Breitenfeld , Podelwitz , and Seehausen , approximately five miles northwest of the walled city of Leipzig on September 17 , or September 7 The Battle of Breitenfeld or First Battle of Breitenfeld...
; LützenBattle of Lützen (1632)The Battle of Lützen was one of the most decisive battles of the Thirty Years' War. It was a Protestant victory, but cost the life of one of the most important leaders of the Protestant alliance, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, which caused the Protestant campaign to lose direction.- Prelude to the...
's dark hills under; - Not yet is FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
's manhood dead; - With foemen's blood a field may still be tinted red.
- All Rest, all Peace, Away! begone!
- The tempest loosens; lightnings flash; and o'er the field the cannon thunder
- Rank upon rank, march on! march on!
- The spirit of each father brave looks on as brave a son.
- No nobler aim
- Could light us to the field;
- Our swords are flame;
- Nor new our blood to yield;
- Forward each man, brave and bold!
- Lo! the glorious path of Freedom, centuries old!
- Gleam high! thou banner Victory-sealed!
- In the grey bygone days, long since, all battle-worn,
- Be still our splendid colours, though tattered, onward borne!
- Of Finland's ancient Standard there's yet a shred untorn.
External links
- Porilaisten marssi in YouTube
- Recording of the song (WAV formatWAVWaveform Audio File Format , is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on PCs...
) at the official website of the President of Finland