The Marietta College Concert Choir sings "Prayer for Ukraine: Bozhe Velykyi," under the director of Dr. Jay Dougherty. This arrangement is by Andrea Ciona. Original music by Mykola Lysenko (1885), and text by Oleksandr Konysky.
From the arranger: "This arrangement is based on the version I grew up singing in Ukrainian Orthodox Churches in Canada, and may vary from other settings and arrangements of this work. This prayer is sung at the end of the church service, and has become the unofficial Hymn of Ukraine. In 2019, I traveled to Ukraine to visit family members. One of my personal highlights was attending an Orthodox service in Chernivtsi, where this prayer was sung by the congregation at the end of the service. Singing this prayer on the soil of Ukraine was visceral."
The text translation is as follows:
O Great God, Eternal!
Protect our beloved Ukraine,
Freedom and light of wisdom
You shed upon her.
Enlighten us with learning and knowledge
Us, your children inspire,
In pure everlasting love to our country
You, O God, allow us to grow.
We pray to you, God almighty,
Protect our beloved Ukraine,
All your grace and bounties
To our people direct!
Grant her freedom, grant her wisdom,
Grant illumination,
Prosperity grant, O God, to the nation
And grant many, many, prosperous years!
6 мар 2022
