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Primary sourceBook13 March 1848

Nemzeti dal

Sándor Petőfi · 13 March 1848

Petőfi's revolutionary poem, written and recited by him on 15 March 1848, which became the rallying cry of the Hungarian Revolution.

Petőfi wrote and recited this poem himself, and it became the defining act of his life as poet and revolutionary.

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Handwritten manuscript on aged, yellowed paper titled 'Nemzeti dal' in cursive Hungarian script, with crossed-out lines and revisions, a round stamp at left and a dated stamp at lower right, and a signature at the bottom right.
Sándor Petőfi, manuscript of 'Nemzeti dal', 1848. Petőfi Literary Museum.

About this source

What it is

This is the manuscript of 'Nemzeti dal' ('National Song'), a Hungarian poem written by Sándor Petőfi in Pest in March 1848. He read it aloud on the steps of the National Museum in Budapest, and it is held today by the Petőfi Literary Museum.

Why it matters

The poem's refrain was chanted by crowds who then marched through the city, seized printing presses and freed political prisoners, helping spark the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. It made Petőfi the voice of the uprising and remains a key symbol of Hungarian national identity.

Look closer

  • What do the crossed-out lines and revisions tell you about how the poem was written?
  • Why might a poem, rather than a speech or pamphlet, have had such power to move a crowd?
  • What does the stamp and signature suggest about how this document has been preserved and verified?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sándor Petőfi on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Printed broadside of the poem Nemzeti dal (National Song) by Sándor Petőfi, in Hungarian, two columns of verse with a handwritten dedication note in cursive at the bottom and the signature Petőfi Sándor.Document

Primary source

Nemzetidal broadside

Sándor Petőfi · 15 March 1848

Front cover of the first edition of János Vitéz by Sándor Petőfi. Title reads 'JÁNOS VITÉZ, Irta PETŐFI SÁNDOR, Ára 40 kr. p.p.' with a drawing of a hussar on a rearing white horse, with a village and river in the background. Printer's line at bottom: 'Nyomt. Gumm Vnél, Pesten'.Book

Primary source

János vitéz

Sándor Petőfi · 1845 (written 1844)

Black-and-white portrait of a young man with dark, swept-back hair, dark jacket, and light-colored cravat, looking at the viewer with a serious expression. He holds a dark object at lower left. The image is grainy and scratched.Photograph

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Sándor Petőfi

Gábor Egressy · 1844

Oil painting of a young man with a dark pompadour hairstyle and a thick curled mustache, wearing a dark jacket, white collar and red cravat, against a warm golden-brown background. Signature and date in red at lower right.Painting

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Portrait of Sándor Petőfi

Orlai Petrich Soma

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At the End of September

Sándor Petőfi · September 1847

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