Der er et yndigt land

Der er et yndigt land

English: There is a Lovely Country
Civil anthem of Denmark
Lyrics	Adam Oehlenschläger, 1819
Music	Hans Ernst Krøyer, 1835
Adopted	1835

"Der er et yndigt land" ("There is a Lovely Country") is the (civil) national anthem of Denmark. For royal celebrations, the royal anthem, "Kong Christian" (which is, however also civil, alongside with "Der er et yndigt land"), 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.

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 :|

These are actually the only verses sung by the Danish people at sporting events etc.

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 :|

Vort gamle Danmark skal bestå,

så længe bøgen spejler

sin top i bølgen blå :|

Free metrical translation

There is a lovely land

with spreading, shady beeches

Near salty Baltic beach :|

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 :|

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

External links

• Danica Dienste has a vocal version of the anthem.
• MP3 file (instrumental) - by the U.S. Navy Band
• Jørgen Eberthas a page that includes the lyrics plus a midi file of the anthem