Ja, vi elsker dette landet
Encyclopedia
is the national anthem
of Norway
. It is commonly referred to as just "Ja, vi elsker" ("Yes, we love"). The lyrics were written by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
between 1859 and 1868, and the melody was written by his cousin Rikard Nordraak
in 1864. It was first performed publicly on 17 May 1864 in connection with the 50th anniversary of the constitution
. Usually only the first and the last two verses are sung.
) has since then been altered in a series of orthographic reforms intended to distinguish it from Danish and bring it closer to spoken Norwegian. The text below is a modernised version commonly used today, not identical to Bjørnson's original. The most commonly sung verses, 1, 7 and 8, have been modernised most.
In each verse the last two lines are sung twice, and one or two words are even repeated an extra time (for example "senker" in the first verse). This repetition is often not indicated, except in the first verse. The words that are repeated an extra time are written in italics in the Norwegian lyrics below (except in the first verse, which is written down fully).
. Its popularity and familiarity among Norwegian-Americans seems to indicate that it has been around for a long time, certainly since before the middle of the 20th century, and possibly much earlier. This translation may be regarded as the "official" version in English.
Yes, we love with fond devotion
This our land that looms
Rugged, storm-scarred o'er the ocean
With her thousand homes.
Love her, in our love recalling
Those who gave us birth.
And old tales which night, in falling,
Brings as dreams to earth.
Norsemen whatsoe'er thy station,
Thank thy God whose power
willed and wrought the land's salvation
In her darkest hour.
All our mothers sought with weeping
And our sires in fight,
God has fashioned in His keeping
Till we gained our right.
Yes, we love with fond devotion
This our land that looms
Rugged, storm-scarred o'er the ocean
With her thousand homes.
And, as warrior sires have made her
Wealth and fame increase,
At the call we too will aid her
Armed to guard her peace.
----
----
was coldly shattered, Bjørnson went from being a monarchist to republicanism, and the tribute to the reigning sovereign was stricken from the song.
The lyrics that were taken out were:
In English this reads:
The "brethren pact" which the text is referring to was a military treaty between Norway, Sweden and Denmark to come to the assistance should one of the nations come under military assault. This happened when German troops invaded South Jutland in February 1864. None of the alliance partners came to the rescue of Denmark. This perceived treason of the "brethren pact" once and for all shattered many people's dreams of unification of the three countries.
was dissolved after many years of Norwegian struggle for equality between the two states, as stipulated in the 1815 Act of Union. The unilateral declaration by the Norwegian Storting of the union's dissolution 7 June provoked strong Swedish reactions, bringing the two nations to the brink of war in the autumn. In Sweden, pro-war conservatives were opposed by the Social Democrats, whose leaders Hjalmar Branting
and Zeth Höglund
spoke out
for reconciliation and a peaceful settlement with Norway. Swedish socialists sang Ja, vi elsker dette landet to demonstrate their support for the Norwegian people’s right to secede from the union.
During World War II
, the anthem was used both by the Norwegian resistance and the Nazi collaborators, the latter group mainly for propaganda reasons. Eventually, the German occupiers officially forbade any use of the anthem.
In May 2006, the multicultural newspaper Utrop
proposed that the national anthem be translated into Urdu
, the native language of the most numerous group of recent immigrants to Norway. The editor's idea was that people from other ethnic groups should be able to honour their adopted country with devotion, even if they were not fluent in Norwegian. This proposal was referred to by other more widely read papers, and a member of the Storting called the proposal "integration
in reverse". One proponent of translating the anthem received batches of hate-mail calling her a traitor and threatening her with decapitation.
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It is commonly referred to as just "Ja, vi elsker" ("Yes, we love"). The lyrics were written by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Bjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. Bjørnson is considered as one of The Four Greats Norwegian writers; the others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland...
between 1859 and 1868, and the melody was written by his cousin Rikard Nordraak
Rikard Nordraak
Rikard Nordraak was a Norwegian composer. He is best known as the composer of the Norwegian national anthem.-Biography:...
in 1864. It was first performed publicly on 17 May 1864 in connection with the 50th anniversary of the constitution
Constitution of Norway
The Constitution of Norway was first adopted on May 16, 1814 by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll , then signed and dated May 17...
. Usually only the first and the last two verses are sung.
Lyrics, literal translation, and poetic translation
Bjørnson wrote a modified version of the Dano-Norwegian language current in Norway at the time. Written Norwegian (bokmålBokmål
Bokmål is one of two official Norwegian written standard languages, the other being Nynorsk. Bokmål is used by 85–90% of the population in Norway, and is the standard most commonly taught to foreign students of the Norwegian language....
) has since then been altered in a series of orthographic reforms intended to distinguish it from Danish and bring it closer to spoken Norwegian. The text below is a modernised version commonly used today, not identical to Bjørnson's original. The most commonly sung verses, 1, 7 and 8, have been modernised most.
In each verse the last two lines are sung twice, and one or two words are even repeated an extra time (for example "senker" in the first verse). This repetition is often not indicated, except in the first verse. The words that are repeated an extra time are written in italics in the Norwegian lyrics below (except in the first verse, which is written down fully).
English translation
The three commonly used stanzas of Ja, vi elsker were translated into English long ago. The name of the translator is seldom mentioned in printed versions of the English text. It has so far not been possible to identify the person responsible or to ascertain when it was translated. But the following versions of stanzas 1, 7, and 8 are well known and often sung by descendants of Norwegian immigrants to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its popularity and familiarity among Norwegian-Americans seems to indicate that it has been around for a long time, certainly since before the middle of the 20th century, and possibly much earlier. This translation may be regarded as the "official" version in English.
Yes, we love with fond devotion
This our land that looms
Rugged, storm-scarred o'er the ocean
With her thousand homes.
Love her, in our love recalling
Those who gave us birth.
And old tales which night, in falling,
Brings as dreams to earth.
Norsemen whatsoe'er thy station,
Thank thy God whose power
willed and wrought the land's salvation
In her darkest hour.
All our mothers sought with weeping
And our sires in fight,
God has fashioned in His keeping
Till we gained our right.
Yes, we love with fond devotion
This our land that looms
Rugged, storm-scarred o'er the ocean
With her thousand homes.
And, as warrior sires have made her
Wealth and fame increase,
At the call we too will aid her
Armed to guard her peace.
Metrical version
Of verses 1, 7, 8 for singing in English:- Norway, thine is our devotion,
- Land of hearth and home,
- Rising storm-scarr'd from the ocean,
- Where the breakers foam.
- Oft to thee our thoughts are wending,
- Land that gave us birth,
- And to saga nights still sending
- Dreams upon our earth,
- And to saga nights still sending
- Dreams upon us on our earth
----
- Men of Norway, be your dwelling
- Cottage, house or farm,
- Praise the Lord who all compelling
- Sav'd our land from harm.
- Not the valour of a father
- On the battlefield
- Nor a mother's tears, but rather
- God our vict'ry sealed,
- Nor a mother's tears, but rather
- God for us our vict'ry sealed.
----
- Norway, thine is our devotion,
- Land of hearth and home,
- Rising storm-scarr'd from the ocean,
- Where the breakers foam.
- As our fathers' vict'ry gave it
- Peace for one and all,
- We shall rally, too, to save it
- When we hear the call,
- We shall rally, too, to save it
- When we hear, we hear the call.
Deleted verse a tribute to King Carl XV
A verse hailing the then newly acceded monarch Carl XV (Karl IV of Norway) who had succeeded his father as king of Norway in July 1859 was included in the original version of "Ja, vi elsker". However, following the divisive international events of the spring of 1864 where the ideal of a unified ScandinaviaScandinavism
Scandinavism and Nordism are literary and political movements that support various degrees of cooperation between the Scandinavian or Nordic countries...
was coldly shattered, Bjørnson went from being a monarchist to republicanism, and the tribute to the reigning sovereign was stricken from the song.
The lyrics that were taken out were:
- Kongen selv staar stærk og aapen
- som vaar Grænsevagt
- og hans allerbedste Vaapen
- er vor Broderpagt.
In English this reads:
- The King himself stands strong and open
- As our border guard
- and his most powerful weapon
- is our brethren pact.
The "brethren pact" which the text is referring to was a military treaty between Norway, Sweden and Denmark to come to the assistance should one of the nations come under military assault. This happened when German troops invaded South Jutland in February 1864. None of the alliance partners came to the rescue of Denmark. This perceived treason of the "brethren pact" once and for all shattered many people's dreams of unification of the three countries.
Controversies
In 1905 the Union between Sweden and NorwayUnion between Sweden and Norway
The Union between Sweden and Norway , officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, consisted of present-day Sweden and Norway between 1814 and 1905, when they were united under one monarch in a personal union....
was dissolved after many years of Norwegian struggle for equality between the two states, as stipulated in the 1815 Act of Union. The unilateral declaration by the Norwegian Storting of the union's dissolution 7 June provoked strong Swedish reactions, bringing the two nations to the brink of war in the autumn. In Sweden, pro-war conservatives were opposed by the Social Democrats, whose leaders Hjalmar Branting
Hjalmar Branting
was a Swedish politician. He was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party , and Prime Minister during three separate periods . When Branting came to power in 1920, he was the first Social Democratic Prime Minister of Sweden...
and Zeth Höglund
Zeth Höglund
Carl Zeth "Zäta" Konstantin Höglund was a leading Swedish communist politician, anti-militarist, author, journalist and mayor of Stockholm ....
spoke out
for reconciliation and a peaceful settlement with Norway. Swedish socialists sang Ja, vi elsker dette landet to demonstrate their support for the Norwegian people’s right to secede from the union.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the anthem was used both by the Norwegian resistance and the Nazi collaborators, the latter group mainly for propaganda reasons. Eventually, the German occupiers officially forbade any use of the anthem.
In May 2006, the multicultural newspaper Utrop
Utrop
Utrop is a Norwegian biweekly, multicultural newspaper.It was established in 2001 as the first online newspaper for minorities in Norway. The newspaper was expanded to a paper version in June 2004. Editor-in-chief is Majoran Vivekananthan....
proposed that the national anthem be translated into Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, the native language of the most numerous group of recent immigrants to Norway. The editor's idea was that people from other ethnic groups should be able to honour their adopted country with devotion, even if they were not fluent in Norwegian. This proposal was referred to by other more widely read papers, and a member of the Storting called the proposal "integration
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
in reverse". One proponent of translating the anthem received batches of hate-mail calling her a traitor and threatening her with decapitation.
Trivia
- The First 7 notes are the same as the traditional Yuletide and New Years' carol Deck the Halls.
External links
- MP3 sound file
- National Anthem of Norway sung a cappellaA cappellaA cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
and with NorwegianNorwegian languageNorwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
subtitles. Hosted by YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos.... - Norway: National anthem on h2g2H2g2h2g2 is a British-based collaborative online encyclopedia project engaged in the construction of, in its own words, "an unconventional guide to life, the universe, and everything", in the spirit of the fictional publication The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy from the science fiction comedy series...
- Norway at national-anthems.net
- Norwegian national anthem, US source
- National anthems
- http://www.sissel.cc/music/Ja_vi_elsker.mp3 Sung May 1, 2005 in Salt Lake City Utah with Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Norwegian soprano Sissel KyrkjebøSissel KyrkjebøSissel Kyrkjebø , also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Sissel's musical style runs the gamut from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and operatic arias...
; first stanza only and then in English