Ja, vi elsker dette landet
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"Ja, vi elsker dette landet" (or: "Ja, vi elsker") (In English: "Yes, we love this country") is the national anthem of Norway. 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. Lyrics and literal translationBjørnson wrote a modified version of the Dano-Norwegian language current in Norway at the time. Written Norwegian (bokmål) 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 to day, 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 (e.g. "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.
English translationThe 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 States. 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, possible much earlier. This translation may be regarded as the "official" version in English. [1] 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.
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.
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 versionOf verses 1, 7, 8 for singing in English:
ControversiesIn 1905 the Union between Sweden and Norway 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 by the nazi collaborators, the last group mainly for propaganda reasons. Eventually, the German occupants officially forbade any use of the anthem. In May 2006, the immigrant newspaper Utrop proposed that the national anthem be translated into Urdu, the native language of the most numerous group of recent immigrants to Norway. [2] 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".[3] One proponent of translating the anthem received batches of hate-mail calling her a traitor and threatening her with decapitation. [4] In popular culture
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cv:Норвеги патшалăхĕн гимнĕ cs:Norská hymna da:Ja, vi elsker dette landet de:Ja, vi elsker dette landet et:Ja, vi elsker dette landet el:Για, βι ελσκέρ ντέτε λάντετ es:Ja, vi elsker dette landet eo:Ja, vi elsker dette landet fr:Ja, vi elsker dette landet ko:노르웨이의 국가 hr:Ja, vi elsker dette landet is:Ja, vi elsker dette landet it:Ja, vi elsker dette landet lv:Norvēģijas himna hu:Norvégia himnusza nl:Ja, vi elsker dette landet ja:我らこの国を愛す ce:Ja, vi elsker dette landet no:Ja, vi elsker dette landet nn:Ja, vi elsker dette landet pl:Hymn Norwegii pt:Hino nacional da Noruega ro:Ja, vi elsker dette landet ru:Гимн Норвегии sl:Ja, vi elsker dette landet fi:Ja, vi elsker dette landet sv:Ja, vi elsker dette landet vi:Ja, vi elsker dette landet tg:Суруди миллии Норвегия vo:Ja, vi elsker dette landet |
