Hatikvah

Hatikvah or Hatikva (Hebrew: הַתִּקְוָה, “The Hope”), sometimes styled HaTikva(h), is the national anthem of Israel.

History

The text of Hatikvah was written by the Galician-Jewish poet Naftali Herz Imber in Zolochiv (Ukraine) in 1878 as a nine-stanza poem named Tikvatenu (“Our Hope”). It was subsequently adopted as the anthem of Zionism at the First Zionist Congress in 1897.

The text was later revised by the settlers of Rishon LeZion, subsequently undergoing a number of other changes. When the State of Israel was declared in 1948, HaTikvah was unofficially proclaimed the national anthem.

In its modern rendering, the text of the anthem includes only the first stanza and refrain of the original poem. The most significant element in the additional stanzas (in addition to the hope of returning to Zion, a hope being seen as fulfilled) is the establishment of a sovereign and free nation in Eretz Yisrael.

Contrary to popular belief, Hatikvah was not officially declared to be the national anthem of Israel until November 2004, when it was sanctioned by the Knesset in an amendment to the “Flag and Coat-of-Arms Law” (now called “The Flag, Coat-of-Arms, and National Anthem Law”).

Music

The melody for Hatikva is based on “La Mantovana,” a 17th century Italian song. Its earliest known appearance in print was in early 17th-century Italy as “Ballo di Mantova.” This melody gained wide currency in Renaissance Europe, being recorded variously as the Spanish hymn “Virgen de la Cueva” (“Virgin of the Cave”), the Yiddish folk song “Prayer for the Dew,” the Polish folk song “Pod Krakowem,” and as the Ukrainian “Kateryna Kucheryava.” In the Czech Republic this melody in major scale is known as the folk song “Kočka leze dírou”; in minor scale, it had been first used by Bedřich Smetana in his symphonic poem “Má vlast” as “Die Moldau.”

The modern adaptation of the music for Hatikvah was most likely composed by Samuel Cohen in 1888. He himself recalled many years later that he had adapted the melody from a Moldavian folk-son, most likely “Carul cu boi” (“Carriage with Oxen”).

Hatikvah is written in a minor key, which is often perceived as mournful in tone and thus rarely used in national anthems. However, as the title (“The Hope”) and the words suggest, the import of the song is uplifting and optimistic in spirit.

Current text

Below is the current text (first stanza and the amended refrain of the original nine-stanza poem) in Hebrew, along with a transliteration and translation (amended lyrics are in bold).

כל עוד בלבב פנימה נפש יהודי הומיה, ולפאתי מזרח קדימה עין לציון צופיה	Kol od baleivav p'nimah Nefesh y'hudi homiyah Ulfa'atei mizrach kadimah Ayin l'tziyon tzofiyah	As long as in the heart, within, A Jewish soul still yearns, And towards the end of the East An eye still watches toward Zion,
עוד לא אבדה תקותנו, התקווה בת שנות אלפים,</br> להיות עם חופשי בארצנו ארץ ציון וירושלים.	Od lo avdah tikvateinu Hatikvah bat sh'not alpayim Lihyot am chofshi b'artzeinu Eretz tziyon virushalayim	Our hope is not yet lost, The hope of two thousand years, To be a free nation in our own land, The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

Some people compare the first line of the refrain, “Our hope is not yet lost” (עוד לא אבדה תקותנו), to the opening of the Polish national anthem, Poland Is Not Yet Lost (Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła) or to the Ukrainian national anthem Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished (Ще не вмерла Україна). However, this line is considered to be a Biblical allusion to Ezekiel’s “Vision of the Dried Bones” (Eze 37: “…Behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost”), describing the despair of the Jewish people in exile, and God’s promise to redeem them and lead them back to the Land of Israel.

Hatikvah is relatively short; indeed it is a single complex sentence, consisting of two clauses. The subordinate clause posits the condition (“As long as…A soul still yearns…And…An eye still watches…), while the independent clause specifies the outcome (“Our hope has not yet been lost…To be a free nation in our own homeland”).

Original nine-stanza poem

1 כָּל עוֹד בַּלֵּבָב פְּנִימָה ,נֶפֶשׁ יְהוּדִי הוֹמִיָּה ,וּלְפַאֲתֵי מִזְרָח קָדִימָה .עַיִן לְצִיּוֹן צוֹפִיָּה	1 Kol od ballevav penimah Nefesh yehudi homiyah Ulefa'atei mizrach kadimah Ayin letziyon tzofiyah	1 So long as within a Jewish breast, Beats true a Jewish heart, And Jewish glances turning East, To Zion fondly dart,
פזמון עוֹד לֹא אָבְדָה תִקְוָתֵנוּ הַתִּקְוָה הַנּוֹשָׁנָה .לָשׁוּב לְאֶרֶץ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ .לְעִיר בָּהּ דָּוִד חָנָה	Refrain Od lo avedah tikvatenu Hatikvah hannoshanah Lashuv le'eretz avoteinu Le'ir bah david chanah	Refrain Our hope will not be lost, Our ancient hope To return to the land of our fathers, The city where David encamped;
2 כָּל-עוֹד דְּמָעוֹת מֵעֵינֵינוּ ,יִזְּלוּ כְגֶשֶׁם נְדָבוֹת וּרְבָבוֹת מִבְּנֵי עַמֵּנוּ .עוֹד הוֹלְכִים עַל קִבְרֵי אָבוֹת	2 Kol-od dema'ot me'eineinu Yizzelu chegeshem nedavot Urevavot mibbenei ammenu Od holechim al kivrei avot	2 So long as tears from our eyes Flow like benevolent rain, Throngs of our countrymen Still pay homage at the graves of our forefathers,
פזמון	Refrain	Refrain
3 כָּל-עוֹד חוֹמַת מַחֲמַדֵּינוּ ,לְעֵינֵינוּ מוֹפָעַת וְעַל חֻרְבַּן מִקְדָּשֵׁנוּ .עַיִן אַחַת עוֹד דוֹמָעַת	3 Kol-od chomat machamaddeinu Le'eineinu mofa'at Ve'al churban mikdashenu Ayin achat od doma'at	3 So long as our precious Wall Appears before our eyes And over the destruction of our Temple Our eyes still well up with tears,
פזמון	Refrain	Refrain
4 כָּל-עוֹד מֵי הַיַּרְדֵּן בְּגָאוֹן ,מְלֹא גְדוֹתָיו יִזֹּלוּ וּלְיָם כִּנֶּרֶת בְּשָׁאוֹן .בְּקוֹל הֲמוּלָה יִפֹּלוּ	4 Kol-od mei haiyarden bega'on Melo gedotav yizzolu Uleyam kinneret besha'on Bekol hamulah yippolu	4 So long as the Jordan’s pent-up tide Leaps downward rapidly, And while its gleaming waters glide, Through Galilee’s blue sea,
פזמון	Refrain	Refrain
5 כָּל-עוֹד שָׁם עֲלֵי דְרָכַיִם ,שַעַר יֻכַּת שְׁאִיָּה וּבֵין חָרְבוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם .עוֹד בּת צִיּוֹן בּוֹכִיָּה	5 Kol-od sham alei derachayim Sha'ar yukkat she'iyah Uvein charevot yerushalayim Od bt tziyon bochiyah	5 So long as the city gates, humiliated, Dot the barren highways, And between the ruins of Jerusalem The daughter of Zion still cries,
פזמון	Refrain	Refrain
6 כָּל-עוֹד דְּמָעוֹת טְהוֹרוֹת ,מֵעֵין בַּת עַמִּי נוֹזְלוֹת וְלִבְכּוֹת לְצִיּוֹן בְּרֹאשׁ אַשְׁמוֹרוֹת .עוֹד תָּקוּם בַּחֲצִי הַלֵּילוֹת	6 Kol-od dema'ot tehorot Me'ein bat ammi nozelot Velivkot letziyon berosh ashmorot Od takum bachatzi halleilot	6 As long as fast-paced tears Fall from the eyes of the daughters of our nation, Mourning for Zion at the peak of evening, She will still rise at midnight;
פזמון	Refrain	Refrain
7 כָּל-עוֹד נִטְפֵי דָם בְּעוֹרְקֵינוּ ,רָצוֹא וָשׁוֹב יִזֹּלוּ וַעֲלֵי קִבְרוֹת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ .עוֹד אֶגְלֵי טַל יִפֹּלוּ	7 Kol-od nitfei dam be'orekeinu Ratzo vashov yizzolu Va'alei kivrot avoteinu Od eglei tal yippolu	7 As long as blood drips in our veins, The passion for return will flow, And on the gravestones of our Fathers Wisps of dew will fall,
פזמון	Refrain	Refrain
8 כָּל-עוֹד רֶגֶשׁ אַהֲבַת הַלְּאוֹם ,בְּלֵב הַיְּהוּדִי פּוֹעֵם עוֹד נוּכַל קַוּוֹת גַּם הַיּוֹם .כִּי עוֹד יְרַחֲמֵנוּ אֵל זוֹעֵם	8 Kol-od regesh ahavat halle'om Belev haiyhudi po'em Od nuchal kavvot gam haiyom Ki od yerachamenu el zo'em	8 So long as deep national love Beats in the heart of the Jew, We can survive another day Because a zealous God will grant us grace;
פזמון	Refrain	Refrain
9 שִׁמְעוּ אַחַי בְּאַרְצוֹת נוּדִי ,אֶת קוֹל אַחַד חוֹזֵינוּ כּי רַק עִם אַחֲרוֹן הַיְּהוּדִי !גַּם אַחֲרִית תִּקְוָתֵנוּ	9 Shim'u achai be'artzot nudi Et kol achad chozeinu Ky rak im acharon haiyhudi Gam acharit tikvatenu!	9 Brother, listen, far away, The single voice, our vision, The last word, O Jewish nation, Is also our last Hope!
פזמון	Refrain	Refrain

Media

Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen itemOriginal Source Template:Multi-listen end

• Collection of MIDIs
• BBC recording from April, 20 1945 of Jewish survivors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp five days after their liberation. This was the first Sabbath ceremony conducted openly on German soil since the beginning of the war, with people still dying around them, singing what would become the Israeli national anthem. (MP3 format)
  • Original Site with Newspaper Article (in Hebrew)
• A vocal version, taken from the compilation The Best Israeli Album in the World. (MP3 format)

Links

• Hatikva article from the Jewishvirtuallibrary