Wenn alle untreu werden
"Wenn alle untreu werden" | |
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Song | |
Published | 1814 |
Writer | Max von Schenkendorf |
Language | German |
"Wenn alle untreu werden, so bleiben wir doch treu" (English: If all become unfaithful, we remain loyal) is the opening line of a famous patriotic German popular song written by Max von Schenkendorf in 1814. Schenkendorf dedicated the song to Friedrich Ludwig Jahn for the "holy German Empire".
The melody was a slightly modified form of Pour aller à la chasse faut être matineux, a French hunting song dating from 1724.
The title also refers to a German hymn of the same name, written by the German poet Novalis in 1799. The first two lines of this hymn are the same as in Schenkendorf's song.[1]
Gerhard Roßbach included the song in the activities of his German Youth Movement in which "its emphasis on loyalty in adversity and faith in Germany precisely fit Roßbach's desire to unify conservative forces behind a project of political and cultural renewal."[2] During the Third Reich the song was used extensively by the Nazi SS, and became known as Treuelied (song of faithfulness).
Lyrics
German | English |
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1. Wenn alle untreu werden, so bleiben wir doch treu, |
1. If all become unfaithful, we remain loyal |
2. Wollt nimmer von uns weichen, uns immer nahe sein, |
2. You will never leave but always be close to us, |
3. Es haben wohl gerungen die Helden dieser Frist, |
3. This grace have the heroes well wrested, |
4. Ihr Sterne seid uns Zeugen, die ruhig niederschaun, |
4. You stars looking down calmly, be our witnesses, |
References
- ↑ "Novalis, Gedichte, Geistliche Lieder, 6. Wenn alle untreu werden". Zeno.org. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
- ↑ Celia Applegate, Pamela Maxine Potter (eds), Music and German National Identity, 2002, University of Chicago Press, p.136
External links
- Wenn alle untreu werden on YouTube.