Ukrainian Anthem

The Story Behind the Anthem

Ukraine's national anthem began as a poem written in 1862 by Pavlo Chubynsky, a young Ukrainian ethnographer in Kyiv. Its stirring first line – "Ukraine has not yet died" – expressed defiant hope for the nation's future. Legend has it that Chubynsky found inspiration at a student gathering after hearing a Serbian patriotic song. Even Polish patriots note similarities between Ukraine's anthem and their own "Poland Is Not Yet Lost." The poem's powerful message alarmed Tsarist authorities, who exiled Chubynsky as a "dangerous influence" shortly after he penned these verses. In 1863, his poem first appeared in print in the newspaper Meta in Lviv (then part of the Austrian Empire), where people began singing it as a hymn of Ukrainian spirit.

The transformation from poem to song happened quickly. In 1863, Mykhailo Verbytsky, a Ukrainian Greek-Catholic priest and composer from Galicia, created a melody for Chubynsky's words. By 1864, choirs in Lviv were performing the song, and it rapidly spread throughout Western Ukraine. One particularly significant performance occurred on March 10, 1865, during a memorial service for Taras Shevchenko in Przemyśl (now in Poland). This date would later be chosen as Ukraine's annual Anthem Day. The timing was deeply symbolic – Shevchenko, Ukraine's most beloved poet and sometimes called "the Ukrainian Shakespeare," had died in 1861. By featuring the new anthem at his memorial, Ukrainians connected it forever to their cultural revival. From then on, "Shche ne vmerla Ukraina" ("Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished") became the song of choice at patriotic gatherings, spreading among all who dreamed of self-rule.

The anthem's political significance grew during the turbulent years of World War I and its aftermath. Between 1917 and 1919, as Ukraine briefly tasted independence, various Ukrainian states adopted "Shche ne vmerla Ukraina" as their national anthem – including the Ukrainian People's Republic in central Ukraine and the West Ukrainian People's Republic in Galicia. Even tiny Carpatho-Ukraine chose it during its single week of independence in 1939. Under Soviet rule after World War II, the anthem was banned, but Ukrainian partisans sang it in secret while exiles kept it alive abroad.

When Ukraine finally gained independence from the USSR in 1991, reviving this historic anthem was one of the first acts of national renewal. In January 1992, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) officially adopted Verbytsky's music and Chubynsky's words as the State Anthem of Ukraine. Some Ukrainians, however, found the original opening line too somber for a newly independent nation. In 2003, parliament approved a slight revision: "Ukraine's glory and freedom have not yet perished" replaced "Ukraine has not yet died." The modern version uses only the first verse and chorus of Chubynsky's longer poem, but the proud spirit remains unchanged.

Today, Ukraine's anthem stands as a powerful symbol of resilience and national identity. Its words and melody remind listeners that despite centuries of foreign domination, Ukraine's spirit endured. The anthem rings out at government ceremonies, international sporting events, and wherever Ukrainians gather to celebrate their nation. March 10 remains National Anthem Day, commemorating that historic 1865 performance. Ukrainian communities worldwide continue to sing it, testament to its enduring emotional power. At its heart, the anthem tells a story of survival – its opening lines boldly assert that Ukraine as a nation has not perished, a fitting motto for a people who preserved their identity through centuries of struggle. Understanding this history reveals why Ukrainians hold their anthem so dear: it's not just a song, but a declaration of their unbreakable will to exist.