We knew thee of old,
Oh, divinely restored,
By the lights of thine eyes
And the light of thy Sword
From the graves of our slain
Shall thy valour prevail
As we greet thee again-
Hail, Liberty! Hail!
Long time didst thou dwell
Mid the peoples that mourn,
Awaiting some voice
That should bid thee return.
Ah, slow broke that day
And no man dared call,
For the shadow of tyranny
Lay over all:
And we saw thee sad-eyed,
The tears on thy cheeks
While thy raiment was dyed
In the blood of the Greeks.
Yet, behold now thy sons
With impetuous breath
Go forth to the fight
Seeking Freedom or Death.
From the graves of our slain
Shall thy valour prevail
As we greet thee again-
Hail, Liberty! Hail!
Flag History | The nine stripes represent the nine syllables of the war cry of independence. Eleutheria i Thanatos (Freedom or Death). The blue stands for the pure Greek sky and recalls that God inspired the Greek people to fight for independence in spite of all the odds. The white symbolizes the purity and sacred character of the stuggle for liberation from Turkish tyranny. |
Flag Date of Adoption | 1832 |
Flag Symbolism | nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; there is a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country |