| Молитва русских | |
| Transcription: | Molitva russkikh |
| English Title: | The Prayer of Russians |
| Prefix: | Former national |
| Country: | Russia |
| Composer: | Melody to "God Save the King" |
| Author: | Vasily Zhukovsky |
| Adopted: | 1816 |
| Until: | 1833 |
| Predecessor: | "Let the Thunder of Victory Rumble!" |
| Successor: | "God Save the Tsar!" |
| Sound: | Rufst du, mein Vaterland, God Save the King, Íslands minni, Kongesangen and Oben am jungen Rhein (1938).oga |
"The Prayer of Russians" (Russian: Молитва русских|r=Molitva russkikh|p=mɐˈlʲitvə ˈruskʲɪx) is a song that was used as the national anthem of Imperial Russia from 1816 to 1833.
After defeating the First French Empire, Tsar Alexander I of Russia recommended a national anthem for Russia. The lyrics were written by Vasily Zhukovsky, and the music of the British anthem "God Save the King" was used.
In 1833, "The Prayer of Russians" was replaced with "God Save the Tsar" (Bozhe, tsarya khrani). The two songs both start with the same words Bozhe, tsarya khrani but diverge after that.
Some consider God Save the Tsar Russia's first true national anthem, as both its words and music were Russian. Others say the title belongs to "Grom pobedy, razdavaysya!", another popular song of the time, although it never had official status.
| Russian | Pre-1917 Orthography | Transliteration | English translation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Гордых смирителю,Слабых хранителю,Всех утешителю—Всё ниспошли! | Гордыхъ смирителю,Слабыхъ хранителю,Всѣхъ утѣшителю—Всё ниспошли! | Gordykh smiritelyuSlabykh khranitelyuVsekh uteshitelyu—Vso nisposhli! | To the subduer of the proud,To the keeper of the weakTo the comforter of everyone,Grant everything! | ||||
| Всё ж недостойноеПрочь отжени! | Всё-жъ недостойноеПрочь отжени! | Vsyo-zh nedostoynoyeProch' otzheni! | |||||
| Rarely used verses | |||||||
| К благу стремление,В счастье смирение,В скорби терпениеДай на земли! | Къ благу стремленіе,Въ счастьѣ смиреніе,Въ скорби терпѣніеДай на земли! | K blagu stremleniye,V shchastye smireniye,V skorbi terpeniyeDay na zemli! | Aspiration to good,Humility in happiness,Patience in sorrowGive on this earth! | ||||