The hymn has given its name to a festival of ecclesiastical music in Mahilioŭ[3] and became one of the protest songs during the 2020-21 Belarusian protests.
History
The tombstone on Mikola Ravienski's grave in Leuven, Belgium with the sheet music of Mahutny Boža engraved
In 1947 composer Mikola Ravienski wrote music for the poem "Prayer" written by Natallia Arsiennieva four years earlier. Soon it became widely used by Belarusian communities in the UK, US, Canada and Australia.[4]
Since the late 1980s, the hymn has gained popularity in post-Soviet Belarus. In 1993 the Catholic Church in Belarus initiated a festival of ecclesiastical music in Mahilioŭ which was named after the hymn.[5]
In 1995 the hymn was proposed as one of the candidates for the national anthem of Belarus.[6] However, the government of Alexander Lukashenka instead adopted the old anthem of Soviet Belarus with some variation to the lyrics.
In 2005 Mahutny Boža was translated into English by Vera Rich.[7]
Магутны Божа! Ўладар сусьветаў,
Вялікіх сонцаў і сэрц малых!
Над Беларусяй, ціхай і ветлай,
Рассып праменьні свае хвалы.
Mahutny Boža! Ŭładar suśvietaŭ,
Vialikich soncaŭ i serc małych!
Nad Biełarusiaj cichaj i vietłaj
Rassyp pramieńni svaje chvały.
O God almighty, O Lord of creation,
Of splendid suns and of humble hearts,
To Belarus, peaceful and patient,
The radiance of Thy glory impart.
Дай спор у працы штодзеннай, шэрай,
На лусту хлеба, на родны край,
Павагу, сілу і веліч веры
У нашу праўду, у прышласьць — дай!
Daj spor u pracy štodzionnaj šeraj,
Na łustu chleba, na rodny kraj,
Pavahu, siłu i vielič viery
U našu praŭdu, u pryšłaść — daj!
O bless our daily toil, performed soundly,
For native land and for bread to live,
Honour and dignity and faith abounding
In our cause, in our future — O give!
Дай урадлівасьць жытнёвым нівам,
Учынкам нашым пашлі ўмалот!
Зрабі магутнай, зрабі шчасьлівай
Краіну нашу і наш народ!
The fruitfulness of our fields do Thou foster,
Good winnowed grain give as toil's reward,
O make them free, O make them prosper —
Our people and our country, O Lord!
References
^Свабода, Радыё (11 December 2007). "Беларускія гімны – дасьледаваньне "Свабоды"" [Belarusian Anthems - research by Radio Liberty]. Радыё Свабода (in Belarusian). Retrieved 2021-06-07.
Беларуская каталіцкая музыка. Касьцельныя песьні. Для зьмешанага хору [Belarusian Catholic music. Church hymns. For mixed choir] / Уклад. Уладзімер Неўдах. — Менск: Беларуская каталіцкая грамада, 1992 (in Belarusian)
