Cretan State National Anthem (1898-1908; Instrumental) Kritikos Ymnos

The Cretan State (Greek: Κρητική Πολιτεία, romanized: Kritiki Politeia;) was established in 1898, following the intervention by the Great Powers (United Kingdom, France, Italy, Austria-Hungary, and Russia) on the island of Crete. In 1897, an insurrection on Crete led the Ottoman Empire to declare war on Greece, which led United Kingdom, France, Italy and Russia to intervene on the grounds that the Ottoman Empire could no longer maintain control. It was the prelude to the island's final annexation to the Kingdom of Greece, which occurred de facto in 1908 and de jure in 1913.

The Cretan Anthem (Greek: Κρητικός Ύμνος, Kritikos Ymnos) was the national anthem of the Cretan State. It was adopted in 1898 and it was sung to the tune of the Greek national anthem, with new words by the poet Ioannis Polemis, celebrating Crete's bloody struggles for freedom from the Ottoman Empire.

Ο Ύμνος της Κρήτης

Μεσ' το αίμα βουτημένη,
με πληγαίς νωπαίς ακόμα,
απ΄ της Κρήτης τ' άγιο χώμα,
επεταχθ' η Λευθεριά•
κι' αγκαλιάζοντας τη Δόξα
τη δαφνοστεφανωμένη
παίρνει δρόμους κι ανασταίνει
πολιτείαις και χωριά.

Χαιρετούν τον ερχομό της
βροντερόφωνα ντουφέκια,
κι' αστραπαίς κι' αστροπελέκια
χύνουν λάμψι περισσή•
και φωνή παλληκαρίσια
απ' την Ίδη κατεβαίνει
Χαίρε, Κρήτη ανδρειωμένη,
Χαιρ' ελεύθερο νησί.