Oben am jungen Rhein | English: Up above the young Rhine |
| National anthem of |  Liechtenstein |
| Lyrics | Jakob Josef Jauch, 1850 |
| Music | Unknown |
| Adopted | 1963 (1920) |
|
| Music sample |
| |
Oben am jungen Rhein (Up above the young Rhine), sung to the same tune as God Save the Queen, has been the national anthem of Liechtenstein since 1963, when the lyrics were altered (the first line had been Oben am deutschen Rhein).
The original lyrics had been written in 1850 by Swiss pastor Jakob Josef Jauch (1802-1859), in a time when the Principality of Liechtenstein, which is considered the last remnant of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, was a member of the German Confederation. About a decade earlier, French claims to the left bank of the Rhine (Rhine Crisis of 1840) had triggered a series of German Rhine songs of which Die Wacht am Rhein is the most famous.
Jauch's lyrics were adopted in 1920 as national anthem. In 1963, the anthem was shortened, and references to German and Germany were removed: am deutschen Rhein (at the German Rhine) became "at the young Rhine", and im deutschen Vaterland (in German fatherland) became das teure Vaterland (the precious fatherland). The second original stanza, containing Auf Deutschlands Wacht (on guard for Germany) was, like the 3rd and 4th discontinued altogether.
[edit] Text and English translation
| First stanza |
| Oben am jungen Rhein
Lehnet sich Liechtenstein
An Alpenhöh'n.
Dies liebe Heimatland,
Das teure Vaterland,
Hat Gottes weise Hand
Für uns erseh'n.
| Up above the young Rhine
Lies Liechtenstein, resting
On Alpine heights.
This beloved homeland,
This dear fatherland
Was chosen for us by
God's wise hand.
|
| Second stanza |
| Hoch lebe Liechtenstein
Blühend am jungen Rhein,
Glücklich und treu.
Hoch leb' der Fürst vom Land,
Hoch unser Vaterland,
Durch Bruderliebe Band
Vereint und frei.
| Long live Liechtenstein,
Blossoming on the young Rhine,
Happy and faithful!
Long live the Prince of the Land,
Long live our fat father's land,
Through bonds of brotherly love
united and free!
|
Until 1963 the anthem's text was:
| First stanza |
| Oben am deutschen Rhein
Lehnet sich Liechtenstein
An Alpenhöh'n.
Dies liebe Heimatland
Im deutschen Vaterland
Hat Gottes weise Hand
Für uns erseh'n. Wo einst St. Lucien
Frieden nach Rhätien
Hineingebracht.
Dort an dem Grenzenstein
Und längs dem jungen Rhein
Steht furchtlos Liechtenstein
Auf Deutschlands Wacht. Lieblich zur Sommerzeit
Auf hoher Alpen Weid
Schwebt Himmelsruh'.
Wo frei die Gemse springt,
Kühn sich der Adler schwingt,
Der Senn das Ave singt
Der Heimat zu. Von grünen Felsenhöh'n
Freundlich ist es zu seh'n
Mit einem Blick:
Wie des Rheins Silberband
Säumet das schöne Land
Ein kleines Vaterland
Vom stillen Glück. Hoch lebe Liechtenstein,
Blühend am deutschen Rhein,
Glücklich und treu.
Hoch leb' der Fürst vom Land,
Hoch unser Vaterland,
Durch Bruderliebe Band
Vereint und frei. | Up by the German Rhine
Liechtenstein rests
Against alpine heights.
This kind homeland
In the German fatherland
God's wise hand has
chosen for us. Where once St Lucy
Peace to Raetia
Had brought.
There by the border stone
And along the young Rhine
Fearless stands Liechtenstein
On guard for Germany. Lovely in the summer
On the high Alps' meadows
Floats heavenly quietude.
Where the chamois leaps freely,
The eagle soars boldly,
The herdsman sings the Ave
For the home. From green rocky heights
It is lovely to look at
With one gaze:
How the Rhine's silver band
Hems the beautiful land
A small fatherland
Of silent bliss. Long live Liechtenstein
Blossoming by the German Rhine
Happy and faithful.
Long live the Prince of the Land
Through bonds of brotherly love
United and free! |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| National anthems of Europe | | National anthems
of sovereign states | | | National and regional
anthems of other
political entities | | | Anthems of former
political entities | | | Anthem of
European Union and
Council of Europe | | |
