The Internationale became the anthem of international revolutionary socialism. Its refrain: C'est la lutte finale/Groupons-nous et demain/L'Internationale/Sera le genre humain. (Freely translated: "This is the final struggle/Let us join together and tomorrow/The International/Will be the human race.") The Internationale has been translated into scores of languages. Traditionally it is sung with the right hand raised in a clenched fist salute. In English, the traditional workers' pronunciation is not an imitation of that of the French, but rather like "inter-nashshun-ALLEY".
The Russian version was initially translated by Aron Kots (Arkadiy Yakovlevich Kots) in 1902 and printed in London in Zhizn, a Russian émigré magazine. The first Russian version consisted of three stanzas (as opposed to six stanzas in the original French lyrics) and the refrain. Later it was expanded and reworded. In 1944 the Soviet Union adopted the Hymn of the Soviet Union as its national anthem. Prior to that time, the Internationale served as the principal musical expression of allegiance to the ideals of the October Revolution and the Soviet Union. (The Internationale continued to be recognized as the official song of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.)
In many European countries, the song was illegal around the beginning of the 20th century because of its communist image and government-undermining lyrics. In Sweden the fifth stanza was censored during the Second World War. The words "They will soon know our bullets / Are for our own generals" were not well liked when they needed people to focus on the war effort.
The Internationale is sung not only by communists but also (in many countries) by socialists or social democrats. It was also a rallying song of the students and workers at the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
Debout, les damnés de la terre Debout, les forçats de la faim La raison tonne en son cratère C'est l'éruption de la fin Du passé faisons table rase Foules, esclaves, debout, debout Le monde va changer de base Nous ne sommes rien, soyons tout |: C'est la lutte finale Groupons-nous, et demain L'Internationale Sera le genre humain :Arise, the damned of the earth, Arise, prisoners of hunger, For reason thunders in its crater, It is the eruption of the end! Let us make a blank slate of the past, Army of slaves, arise, arise! The world is changing at the base, We who have been nothing, let's be everything! |: This is the final struggle Let us gather, and tomorrow The Internationale Will be mankind! :|-
Second stanza
Il n'est pas de sauveurs suprêmes Ni Dieu, ni César, ni tribun Producteurs, sauvons-nous nous-mêmes Décrétons le salut commun Pour que le voleur rende gorge Pour tirer l'esprit du cachot Soufflons nous-mêmes notre forge Battons le fer quand il est chaud |: C'est la lutte finale Groupons-nous, et demain L'Internationale Sera le genre humain :There are no supreme saviours, Neither God, nor Caesar, nor tribune. Workers, let's save ourselves! Together let's enact a common decree To force the thief to return his loot, So that the mind is set free from the prison cell! Let us blow upon our furnace ourselves, Strike the iron while it is hot! |: It is the final struggle Let us gather, and tomorrow The Internationale Will be mankind! :|-
Third stanza
L'état comprime et la loi triche L'impôt saigne le malheureux Nul devoir ne s'impose au riche Le droit du pauvre est un mot creux C'est assez, languir en tutelle L'égalité veut d'autres lois Pas de droits sans devoirs dit-elle Egaux, pas de devoirs sans droits |: C'est la lutte finale Groupons-nous, et demain L'Internationale Sera le genre humain :The state strangles and the law cheats, The taxes bleed the disadvantaged in society. The rich do not shoulder any responsibility; The rights of the poor is an empty word. It is enough to decay in servitude, Equality needs other laws! No rights without duty, she says, Conversely, no duty without rights. |: It is the final struggle Let us gather, and tomorrow The Internationale Will be mankind! :|-
Fourth stanza
Hideux dans leur apothéose Les rois de la mine et du rail Ont-ils jamais fait autre chose Que dévaliser le travail Dans les coffres-forts de la bande Ce qu'il a créé s'est fondu En décrétant qu'on le lui rende Le peuple ne veut que son dû. |: C'est la lutte finale Groupons-nous, et demain L'Internationale Sera le genre humain :Hideous, in their glory, The kings of the mines and rail. They have done nothing else, But to steal others' work. In the strongboxes of this band, What we created are all in there! In working for their restitution, They only want their rightful due. |: It is the final struggle Let us gather, and tomorrow The Internationale Will be mankind! :|-
Fifth stanza
Les rois nous saoulaient de fumées Paix entre nous, guerre aux tyrans Appliquons la grève aux armées Crosse en l'air, et rompons les rangs S'ils s'obstinent, ces cannibales A faire de nous des héros Ils sauront bientôt que nos balles Sont pour nos propres généraux |: C'est la lutte finale Groupons-nous, et demain L'Internationale Sera le genre humain :The kings deceive us with their fumes, Peace among ourselves, war to the tyrants! Let us encourage strikes in the armies, To wave their guns and disband their ranks! If they insist, those cannibals, To make heroes of us, They will soon know our bullets, Are for our own generals. |: It is the final struggle Let us gather, and tomorrow The Internationale Will be mankind! :|-
Sixth stanza
Ouvriers, paysans, nous sommes Le grand parti des travailleurs La terre n'appartient qu'aux hommes L'oisif ira loger ailleurs Combien, de nos chairs se repaissent Mais si les corbeaux, les vautours Un de ces matins disparaissent Le soleil brillera toujours. |: C'est la lutte finale Groupons-nous, et demain L'Internationale Sera le genre humain :Labourers, peasants, we are The big party of workers The earth belongs only to humans The idle are going to live elsewhere How much they feast on our flesh But if the ravens and vultures Disappear one of these days The sun will shine forever |: It is the final struggle Let us gather, and tomorrow The Internationale Will be mankind! :|}
'ставай, проклятьем заклеймённый 'есь мир голодных и рабов Кипит наш разум возмущённый И в смертный бой вести готов. 'есь мир насилья мы разрушим "о основанья, а затем Мы наш мы новый мир построим, Кто был никем, тот станет всем! |: Это есть наш последний И решительный бой. С Интернационалом 'оспрянет род людской. :Vstavaj, prokljat'em zaklejmënnyj Ves' mir golodnyh i rabov Kipit naš razum vozmuščënnyj I v smertnyj boj vesti gotov. Ves' mir nasil'ja my razrušim Do osnovan'ja, a zatem My naš my novyj mir postroim, Kto byl nikem, tot stanet vsem! |: Èto est' naš poslednij I rešitel'nyj boj. S Internacionalom Vosprjanet rod ljudskoj. :Arise, those who are branded with a curse All the starving people and the slaves of the world Our indignant minds boil and they are ready to fight to the death. We shall destroy the world of violence to its foundations, and then we shall build a new world. Those that were nothing shall become everything! |: This is our final and decisive battle. With the Internationale the human race will leap up. :|-
Second stanza
Никто не даст нам избавленья Ни бог, ни царь и не герой "обьёмся мы освобожденья Своею собственной рукой. Чтоб свергнуть гнёт рукой умелой, Отвоевать своё добро - 'здувайте горн и куйте смело, Пока железо горячо! |: Это есть наш последний И решительный бой. С Интернационалом 'оспрянет род людской. :Nikto ne dast nam izbavlen'ja Ni bog, ni car' i ne geroj Dob'ëmsja my osvobožden'ja Svoeju sobstvennoj rukoj. Čtob svergnut' gnët rukoj umeloj, Otvoevat' svoë dobro - Vzduvajte gorn i kujte smelo, Poka železo gorjačo! |: Èto est' naš poslednij I rešitel'nyj boj. S Internacionalom Vosprjanet rod ljudskoj. :Nobody will send us deliverance. Not God, nor Tsar, nor a hero. We shall be liberated by our own hands. To overthrow oppression, skilled hands take back all that is good - Blow up the furnace and strike boldly while the iron is hot! |: This is our final and decisive battle. With the Internationale the human race will leap up. :|-
Third stanza
"овольно кровь сосать, вампиры, Тюрьмой, налогом, нищетой! У вас - вся власть, все блага мира, А наше право - звук пустой! Мы жизнь построим по иному - И вот наш лозунг боевой 'ся власть народу трудовому! А дармоедов всех долой! |: Это есть наш последний И решительный бой. С Интернационалом 'оспрянет род людской. :Dovol'no krov' sosat', vampiry, Tjur'moj, nalogom, niščetoj! U vas - vsja vlast', vse blaga mira, A naše pravo - zvuk pustoj! My žizn' postroim po inomu - I vot naš lozung boevoj Vsja vlast' narodu trudvomu! A darmoedov vseh doloj! |: Èto est' naš poslednij I rešitel'nyj boj. S Internacionalom Vosprjanet rod ljudskoj. :Enough sucking blood, vampires. Prison, taxes, poverty! You have all authority, all the blessings of the world. But our rights - an empty sound! We shall build a different life - and here is our battle cry. All power to the workers! And all parasites their share! |: This is our final and decisive battle. With the Internationale the human race will leap up. :|}
The traditional British version of The Internationale is usually sung in 3 verses, while the American version is in two. The American version is sometimes sung with the line "the internationale", "the international working class", or "the international union" in place of "the international soviet." The English versions are known to be notoriously difficult to sing, as the lyrics are sometimes forced and unnatural. Billy Bragg, after talking to Pete Seeger and agreeing that the old lyrics were "archaic and unsingable", made a revision of the song, based on the British version. A full, 6-stanza translation can be found on the Wikisource page on The Internationale.
British Translation
Billy Bragg's Revision
American version
First stanza
Arise, ye workers from your slumber, Arise, ye prisoners of want. For reason in revolt now thunders, and at last ends the age of cant! Away with all your superstitions, Servile masses, arise, arise! We'll change henceforth the old tradition, And spurn the dust to win the prize! So comrades, come rally, And the last fight let us face. The Internationale, Unites the human race. So comrades, come rally, And the last fight let us face. The Internationale, Unites the human race.Stand up, all victims of oppression, For the tyrants fear your might! Don't cling so hard to your possessions, For you have nothing if you have no rights! Let racist ignorance be ended, For respect makes the empires fall! Freedom is merely privilege extended, Unless enjoyed by one and all. So come brothers and sisters, For the struggle carries on. The Internationale, Unites the world in song. So comrades, come rally, For this is the time and place! The international ideal, Unites the human race. Arise, you prisoners of starvation! Arise, you wretched of the earth! For justice thunders condemnation: A better world's in birth! No more tradition's chains shall bind us, Arise you slaves, no more in thrall! The earth shall rise on new foundations: We have been nought, we shall be all! 'Tis the final conflict, Let each stand in his place. The international soviet Shall be the human race 'Tis the final conflict, Let each stand in his place. The international soviet Shall be the human race
Second stanza
No more deluded by reaction, On tyrants only we'll make war! The soldiers too will take strike action, They'll break ranks and fight no more! And if those cannibals keep trying, To sacrifice us to their pride, They soon shall hear the bullets flying, We'll shoot the generals on our own side. So comrades, come rally, And the last fight let us face. The Internationale, Unites the human race. So comrades, come rally, And the last fight let us face. The Internationale, Unites the human race.Let no one build walls to divide us, Walls of hatred nor walls of stone. Come greet the dawn and stand beside us, We'll live together or we'll die alone. In our world poisoned by exploitation, Those who have taken, now they must give! And end the vanity of nations, We've but one Earth on which to live. So come brothers and sisters, For the struggle carries on. The Internationale, Unites the world in song. So comrades, come rally, For this is the time and place! The international ideal, Unites the human race. We want no condescending saviors To rule us from their judgment hall, We workers ask not for their favors Let us consult for all: To make the thief disgorge his booty To free the spirit from its cell, We must ourselves decide our duty, We must decide, and do it well. 'Tis the final conflict, Let each stand in his place. The international soviet Shall be the human race 'Tis the final conflict, Let each stand in his place. The international soviet Shall be the human race
Third stanza
No saviour from on high delivers, No faith have we in prince or peer. Our own right hand the chains must shiver, Chains of hatred, greed and fear. E'er the thieves will out with their booty, And to all give a happier lot. Each at his forge must do their duty, And we'll strike the iron while it's hot. So comrades, come rally, And the last fight let us face. The Internationale, Unites the human race. So comrades, come rally, And the last fight let us face. The Internationale, Unites the human race.And so begins the final drama, In the streets and in the fields. We stand unbowed before their armour, We defy their guns and shields! When we fight, provoked by their aggression, Let us be inspired by life and love. For though they offer us concessions, Change will not come from above! So come brothers and sisters, For the struggle carries on. The Internationale, Unites the world in song. So comrades, come rally, For this is the time and place! The international ideal, Unites the human race.
The Internationale is titled as Guójìg" (, ), literally the International Song.
The most common and official Chinese version is the de facto anthem of the Communist Party of China. It was translated from the Russian version by Qu Qiubai, a leader of the Communist Party of China in the late 1920s. His translation has transliterated the Internationale as Yīngtènàxióngnài'ěr (, ) when singing the phrase in Standard Mandarin. As he was killed by the Kuomintang in 1935, his Chinese translation is in the public domain wherever the duration of copyright is an author's lifetime plus 50 years, including China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. The meaning of the Chinese lyrics translated from the Russian ones is somewhat different from the roughly corresponding French ones. See below for the lyrics and their literal English translations.
The third, fourth, and fifth French stanzas are not normally sung in Chinese. Chinese translator Shen Baoji (, , 1908-2002) has made a complete Chinese translation, published in 1957, of all six French stanzas,The inside story of the alteration of the Internationale translations in Chinese but it is not as singable or official as Qu Qiubai's translation from Russian. Shen's translation has transliterated the Internationale as Yīngdāi'ěrnàxī'àonà'ěr (, ) in the stanzas, different from Qu's transliteration. As the Copyright Law of the People's Republic of China grants individuals copyright for their lifetime plus 50 years, Shen's translation is expected to remain copyrighted until the end of 2052, unlike Qu's version.
The song was a rallying anthem of the demonstrators at the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, and was repeatedly sung both while marching to the Square and within the Square.
起來，饑'交迫的奴隸， 起來，全世界受苦的人！ 滿"的熱血已"沸騰， 要為真理而鬥爭！ 舊世界"個落花流水， 奴隸們起來起來！ 不要說我們一無所有， 我們要做天下的主人！ |: 這是最後的鬥爭， 團結起來到明天， 英特納雄耐爾 就一定要實現。 :起来，饥'交迫的奴隶， 起来，全世界受苦的人！ 满"的热血已经沸腾， 要为真理而斗争！ 旧世界"个落花流水， 奴隶们起来起来！ 不要说我们一无所有， 我们要做天下的主人！ |: 这是最后的斗争， 团"起来到明天， 英特纳雄耐" 就一定要实现。 :Qǐlái, jīhánjiāopò de núlì, Qǐlái, quánshìjiè shòuk" de rén! Mǎnqiāng de rèxuè yǐjīng fèiténg, Yào wèi zh"nlǐ ér dòuzh"ng! Jiù shìjiè dǎ gè luòhuāliúshuǐ, Núlìmen, qǐlái!, qǐlái! Bú yào shuō w'men yìwúsu'y'u, W'men yào zuò tiānxià de zh"rén. |: Zhè shì zuìhòu de dòuzh"ng, Tuánjié qǐlái, dào míngtiān, Yīngtènàxióngnài'ěr Jiù yídìng yào shíxiàn. :Arise, slaves afflicted by starvation and coldness, Arise, victimized people all over the world! Full cavity of hot blood has boiled, We shall struggle for true justice! The old world shall be destroyed, Slaves, arise, arise! Do not say that we have nothing, We want to be the masters of the world! |: This is the final struggle, Unite together toward tomorrow, The Internationale Shall definitely be realized. :|-
Second stanza
從來就'有什麼救世主， 也不靠神仙皇帝。 要創造人類的幸福， 全靠我們自己！ 我們要奪回勞動果實， "思想衝破牢籠。 快把那爐火'的通紅， 趁熱"鐵才能成功！ |: 這是最後的鬥爭， 團結起來到明天， 英特納雄耐爾 就一定要實現。 :从来就没有什么救世主， 也不靠神仙皇帝。 要创造人类的幸福， 全靠我们自己！ 我们要夺回劳动果实， 让思想冲破牢笼。 快把那炉火烧的通红， 趁热""才能成功！ |: 这是最后的斗争， 团"起来到明天， 英特纳雄耐" 就一定要实现。 :Cónglái jiù méiy'u shénme jiùshìzh", Yě bú kào shénxiān huángdì. Yào chuàngzào rénlèi de xìngfú, Quán kào w'men zìjǐ. W'men yào duóhuí láodòng gu'shí, Ràng sīxiǎng chōngpò láolóng. Kuài bǎ nà lúhu' shāo de tōnghóng, Chènrèdǎtiě cái néng chénggōng. |: Zhè shì zuìhòu de dòuzh"ng, Tuánjié qǐlái, dào míngtiān, Yīngtènàxióngnài'ěr Jiù yídìng yào shíxiàn. :There has never been whatever called savior, Nor are God emperors depended on. To create humans' well-being Shall entirely depend on ourselves! We shall get back the work results, And let the mind set free from the prison cell. Blow upon that furnace quickly, Only striking the iron while it is hot will succeed! |: This is the final struggle, Unite together toward tomorrow, The Internationale Shall definitely be realized. :|-
Sixth stanza
是誰創造了人類世界？ 是我們勞動群眾。 一切歸勞動者所有， "能容的寄"蟲！ 最可恨那些'蛇猛獸， 吃盡了我們的血肉。 一旦把他們消滅乾淨， 鮮紅的太陽照遍全球！ |: 這是最後的鬥爭， 團結起來到明天， 英特納雄耐爾 就一定要實現。 :是谁创造了人类世界？ 是我们劳动群众。 一切'劳动者所有， "能容的寄"虫！ 最可恨那些'蛇猛兽， 吃尽了我们的血肉。 一旦把他们消灭干净， 鲜红的太阳照遍全球！ |: 这是最后的斗争， 团"起来到明天， 英特纳雄耐" 就一定要实现。 :Shì shéi chuàngzào liǎo rénlèi shìjiè? Shì w'men láodòng qúnzhòng. Yíqiè guī láodòngzhě su'y'u, Nǎnéng róngde jìsh"ngchóng! Zuì kěhèn nàxi" dúshéměngshòu, Chījìn liǎo w'men de xuèròu. Yídàn bǎ tāmen xiāomiè gānjìng, Xiānhóng de tàiyáng zhào biàn quánqiú. |: Zhè shì zuìhòu de dòuzh"ng, Tuánjié qǐlái, dào míngtiān, Yīngtènàxióngnài'ěr Jiù yídìng yào shíxiàn. :Who created the humans' world? These are us working people. Everything is for workers, How can parasites be accommodated! We hate those poisonous snakes and savage beasts the most, Eating up our flesh and blood. Once they are entirely destroyed, The freshly red sun will shine all over the globe! |: This is the final struggle, Unite together toward tomorrow, The Internationale Shall definitely be realized. :|}
In addition to the Mandarin version, the Internationale also has Cantonese [1] and Taiwanese [2] versions, occasionally used in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but the word "Internationale" is not translated in either version. In the Mandarin, the word "Internationale" is transliterated into Chinese characters.
