"Call'st Thou, My Fatherland", also known as "O Independent Mounts", was the national anthem of Switzerland from 1848 to 1961. The lyrics were written by the Swiss author Johann Rudolf Wyss (Henri Roehrich) in 1811 to the tune of British anthem "God Save the King". The French lyrics were written in 1857 by Henri Roehrich,[1] and an Italian version was not published until 1896.[2]
Lyrics[]
German original[]
Original (1811) | Modified (1833) |
---|---|
Ruf'st du, mein Vaterland? |
Rufst du, mein Vaterland? |
French lyrics[]
Ô monts indépendants,
Répétez nos accents,
Nos libres chants.
A toi patrie,
Suisse chérie,
Le sang, la vie
De tes enfants.
Nous voulons nous unir,
Nous voulons tous mourir
Pour te servir.
Ô notre mère !
De nous sois fière,
Sous ta bannière
Tous vont partir.
Gardons avec fierté
L'arbre au Grutli planté
La liberté !
Que d'âge en âge,
Malgré l'orage,
Cet héritage
Soit respecté.
Tu soutins nos aïeux,
Tu nous rendra comme eux,
Victorieux !
Vers toi s'élance
Notre espérance,
La délivrance
Viendra des cieux.[1]
Italian lyrics[]
Towards the end of the 19th century, there were desires for an Italian version of the hymn as Italian is the third official language of the country. Thus, this version printed in a 1896 songbook for schools has two verses, a close translation of the first two versions of the German lyrics.[2]
Ci chiami, o Patria?
Uniti impavidi
snudiam l'acciar!
Salute Elvezia!
Tuoi prodi figli,
Morat, Sant' Giacomo,
non obliar
Laddov'è debole
dell'Alpi l'egida
che il ciel ci diè.
Ti farem argine
dei petti indomiti:
È dolce, o Elvezia
morir per te!
English version[]
The English version, although never an official language of Switzerland, is based on the first, second and sixth stanzas of the 1833 German lyrics.[3]
Call'st thou, my Fatherland?
See us with heart and hand
Vowed to thee, all!
Helvetia! hail to thee!
True still thy sons shall be,
Like them Saint James did see,
Leap at war's call!
There where no Alpen-bound
Circling thy land around,
God's hand hath thrown,
Steadfast we stand alike,
Blenching not, mountain-like,
Still, even though death should strike,
Scorning to groan.
Free and for ever free!
This shall our war-cry be—
Heart's cry — for ever!
Free lives who dreads not death,
Free, who the hero's path
Tell-like upmounted hath,
Falteringly never!
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Moretti, Nanni. Journal Intime, 1979, p. 261.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Brusoni, Edmondo. Libro di canto per le Scuole del Cantone Ticino, vol. 1, Tip. e Lit. Eredi Carlo Colombi, Bellinzona 1896, p. 18.
- ↑ "The excellent and spirited translation is by a friend, and will be seen to be very close, as all translations ought to be" (Forbes 1850, p. 53)."