Today we are going to talk about the Russian region called the Republic of Mordovia. This region is located between Moscow and the Volga, and interestingly, it is the closest republic to the capital, the city of Moscow. It is slightly larger than Northern Macedonia, and its titular nation is Mordvins, which makes up about 39% of the population. The peculiarity of the Mordvins is that it is essentially two peoples: Erzya and Moksha. Although many consider them the same people, among the Mordvins themselves the differences are considered quite significant. Their languages are not mutually intelligible because of their differences, so members of both groups often use Russian to communicate with each other. Although both languages belong to the Mordovian languages of the Finno-Ugric group. There are also noticeable differences in culture, customs, and so on, so there is no doubt that these are 2 different peoples.
The anthem of Mordovia, which has been used since 1995, tries to show the friendship and common fate of the three main peoples of the republic: Moksha, Erzya and Russians. The first verse is in Moksha, the second in Erzya, and the third in Russian, while in the choruses you can hear a mixture of Moksha and Erzya words. As always, I will provide you with the lyrics and the anthem itself for you to hear.
Lyrics
Bright day, Mordovia! From the bottom of thy heart,
Bright day, Mordovia! In thine eyes shineth light.
Glittering across Russia the star of Moksha,
Surrounding Russia the dawn of Erzya.
Chorus:
Hail! Hail, Mordovia!
Ring! Ring, Mordovia!
Land beloved! Thy flowering spring,
Land beloved of Moksha-Erzya!
Hail! Hail, Mordovia!
Sing! Sing, Mordovia!
May joyous life come into thy hearth!
Peace be upon thee, Mordovia!
Strong may thou be as the sun blazeth!
Thou, Mordovia, cross’d a path grim and hard,
Thou, Mordovia, stoodest erect and proud,
Vast Moksha and swift Sura gave thee strength,
Thy heart and soul still like a pure spring.
Hail! Hail, Mordovia!
Ring! Ring, Mordovia!
Land beloved! Thy flowering spring,
Land beloved of Moksha-Erzya!
Hail! Hail, Mordovia!
Sing! Sing, Mordovia!
May joyous life come into thy hearth!
Peace be upon thee, Mordovia!
Strong may thou be as the sun blazeth!
Thou, Mordovia, cross’d a path long and hard,
Thou wert with Russia always and proud,
The free Moksha and Sura gave thee strength,
Thy soul and heart remain strong.
Hail! Hail, Mordovia!
Ring! Ring, Mordovia!
Land beloved! Thy flowering spring,
Land beloved of Moksha-Erzya!
Hail! Hail, Mordovia!
Sing! Sing, Mordovia!
May joyous life come into thy hearth!
Peace be upon thee, Mordovia!
Strong may thou be as the sun blazeth!
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