Der er et yndigt land

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"Der er et yndigt land" ("There is a Lovely Land") is the (civil) national anthem of Denmark. If the royal family is present, the royal anthem, "Kong Kristian", is used.

In common use, only the first stanza and the last three verses of the fourth stanza are used. The first half of the last stanza is rarely heard. The last verse of each stanza is repeated once.

The lyrics were written in 1819 by Adam Oehlenschläger for a competition for a Danish national anthem, and bore the motto: "Ille terrarum mihi praeter omnes angulus ridet" (Horace; "This spot smiles at me more than any other"). When it was first published, it had 12 stanzas, but it was shortened to the first, third, fifth, and last stanza in later editions. The music was composed in 1835 by Hans Ernst Krøyer. Later, Thomas Laub and Carl Nielsen both composed alternative tunes, but none of them has gained widespread adoption, and today they are mostly unknown to the general population.

Contents

[edit] Danish lyrics

Der er et yndigt land,
det står med brede bøge
nær salten østerstrand :|
Det bugter sig i bakke, dal,
det hedder gamle Danmark
og det er Frejas sal :|
Der sad i fordums tid
de harniskklædte kæmper,
udhvilede fra strid :|
Så drog de frem til fjenders mén,
nu hvile deres bene
bag højens bautasten :|
Det land endnu er skønt,
thi blå sig søen bælter,
og løvet står så grønt :|
Og ædle kvinder, skønne mø'r
og mænd og raske svende
bebo de danskes øer :|
Hil drot og fædreland!
Hil hver en danneborger,
som virker, hvad han kan! :|
Vort gamle Danmark skal bestå,
så længe bøgen spejler
sin top i bølgen blå :|

[edit] Free metrical translation

There is a lovely land
with spreading, shady beeches
Near salty Baltic strand :|
Its hills and valleys gently fall,
its ancient name is Denmark,
And it is Freya's hall :|
There in the ancient days
the armoured Vikings rested
Between their bloody frays :|
Then they went forth the foe to face,
now found in stone-set barrows,
Their final resting place :|
This land is still as fair,
the sea is blue around it,
And peace is cherished there :|
Strong men and noble women still
uphold their country's honour
With faithfulness and skill :|

[edit] Literal translation

There is a lovely country
it stands with broad beeches
near the salty eastern beach
It winds itself in hill, valley,
it is called old Denmark
and it is Freja's hall
There sat in former times,
the armour-suited warriors,
rested from conflict
Then they journeyed forwards to their enemies' injury,
now their bones are resting
behind the mound's menhir
That country is still lovely,
because the sea waves so blue frolic,
and the foliage stands so green
And noble women, beautiful maidens,
and men and brisk swains
inhabit the Danes' islands
Hail king and native country!
Hail every a Dane-citizen,
who works, what he can
Our old Denmark shall endure,
as long the beech reflects
its top in the blue wave

[edit] External links