No. 1. Instrumental introduction.
No. 2. Trio with Chorus. (Hemmann Seevogel, Tenor; two Swiss captains, 
Basses; Choir of the Swiss. This side of the Birs River, on the right bank.)

 Trio.
  Retreat! retreat! Is it not enough
That you have beaten Sancerre's might
At Pratteln? [Beaten] Dammartin at Muttenz,
And each of you carried off rich booty?
  Up to the Birs River and no farther!
That is what you swore at Farnsburg,
  Retreat! retreat!

 Chorus.
  Retreat! retreat! Only weaklings speak thus!
All that matters is to live and die with honour!
To seek out the enemies is the nature of the Swiss,
Not to flee from them, no matter how strong they may be!

 Duet. (Basses.)
  Retreat! retreat! Remember the murder
Near Greiffensee, so that God may not take
Vengeance upon you for that blood!

 Chorus.
  Do you hear the enemies jeering across the river!
How their pieces threaten, how proud the throng of knights,
Now follow us, whoever is a Swiss patriot!

 Trio.
  In God's name then! We shall die alongside you!
A captain has never abandoned his troops!
We shall die alongside you!

 Chorus.
  In God's name then!
Now follow us, whoever is a Swiss patriot!

No. 3. Double Choir (Choir of the Armagnacs, Tenors; Choir of the Swiss.
Basses. Beyond and this side of the Birs River.)

Choir of the Armagnacs.
  Ha! only come at us, ye peasants,
We'll show you what's what!
And it shall not take long
Till you all star running!
  When our firing-pieces strike up
The new taunting-song,
How you shall quickly leap
Back through shrubs and reeds!

 Choir of the Swiss.
  Only come at us, ye poor fops,
The Swiss shall stand their ground!
You may go startle women
With robbery and murder and fire!
  We stand faithfully together,
Together unto death!
For an eternal rosy morning 
Must dawn in flames for freedom!

 Choir of the Armagnacs.
  Listen up! Those in your circle
Who do not turn tail,
We shall ride them into the ground like dogs
On the battlefield!
  Leave your arrows in their quivers,
Let your claymore rest!
You should rather darn the holes
In your jerkins and your shoes!

 Choir of the Swiss.
  Listen up! He who with his right hand
Can no longer strike blows,
Shall battle with his left hand
And remain steadfast in the fight!
  Instead of from the quiver, he shall
Tear the arrow from his breast,
To shatter you braggarts
In the last fire of death!

 Choir of the Armagnacs.
  With drums and trumpets,
Thus we write our own passport!
[It is made] from firing-pieces and muskets
Instead of from the inkwell!
  Go home to your cows,
That is our advice to you:
In the barn good fortune may await you,
But never upon the field!

 Choir of the Swiss.
  Despite [your] drums and trumpets,
No matter how small our throng,
Despite [your] firing-pieces and muskets,
How [our throng] grows wondrously!
  And though you have knights among you,
God the Lord is with us!
And no death is bitter
When it is for the honour and defense of our land!

No. 4. Recitativ. (A captain from Basel, Bass. Upon the parapet of the Gate of St. Alban.)

  Ever new throngs come along
And at St. Jacob there stands, uncountable,
The army of the Dauphin!
How can the little hut
Of the Swiss confederates withstand them? --
  The enemy cuts off the path of our own,
For naught, ah! did they storm out!
Already they are retreating! Now woe to the city,
Unless wonders of valour occur! -- 
  Ye people down below! lift your pleas to God,
Whose hand alone can save us!

No. 5. Prayer. (Citzens of Basel, Choir. Upon the rampart.)

  Sword of the Lord! oh, descend,
See! our hands are too weak!
As to our fathers, come to us again,
Save, oh save city and country!

No. 6. Duet. (Hemmann Seevogel, Tenor; a Swiss captain, Bass, wounded. The other bank of the Birs River.)

Tenor.
  Farewell, beloved city,
With your towers there along the Rhine!

 Bass.
  Farewell, my beautiful country,
With your rocky crags in the evening glow!

Tenor and Bass.
  May God protect you!
May God shield you!
Without doubt, I greet you for the last time! --
  We stand together in adversity!
We stand together unto death!
  Thus shall it happen
That one day, Basel shall stand with the confederates 
In adversity and death!
  Farewell, beloved city!
My beautiful country!
(dying)
  Farewell! farewell!
And may God's hand protect and shield you!

No. 7. Large men's chorus. The battle.

  Onward through the floodwaters, barely one against ten!
Oh miracles of courage, the like of which was never seen before!
Despite bullets and arrows, [despite] the whole cavalry,
How they immediately build a rampart of the fallen ones!

  Raise the spiked mace! through the water to the meadow!
The last one must die and be victorious, oh look!
Raise the spiked mace! in an eerie conflagration
The last one must die to save the country!

  They held the line, despite arrogance and derision:
Our bodies to the foes! our souls to God!
And he who mocked Him upon the bloody battlefield,
How the bullet penetrates his brain in vengenance!

  The enemy draws off, barely one of ten,
The victors brought down, as never before!
Thus was the battle won at St. Jacob,
The battle that brought us freedom forever!

No. 8. Soprano solo and women's chorus (Helvetia, Soprano. Upon the battlefield.)

Recitativ.
  Accept the victory-wreath!
[It is twined with] Alpine roses from the highest peaks,
As red as your heart's blood,
And Edelweiss, like unto the pale sleeping ones!
  It shall never wilt!
The Lord has looked upon your sacrifice with grace,
And therefore, this is sacred ground forever! --
  Rest well, weary from victory,
But unconquered!
Rest well! rest well!

 Soprano solo and women's chorus
  Rest well, rest well in God's keeping,
Bedded upon the bloody field!
Rest well, rest well! Through your courage
City and country are saved!

  Rest well, rest well! To an eternal bond 
Basel shall commit itself,
At every hour to remain true
To Switzerland while blessing you!

  Rest well, rest well in God's keeping,
Bedded upon the bloody field!
Rest well, rest well! Through your courage
Freedom has been saved!

No. 9. Final chorus.
  Now, since the host of heroes has died,
Everyone dedicates goods and [life]
To the freedom that they secured for us,
And, filled with courage unto death, trusts in God!

  And he who cannot give his life
As his fathers did, in the heat of battle,
Nevertheless, in all his striving,
Looks to the welfare and glory of our country!

  Oh homeland! to you be it sworn:
As long as Birs River still flows to the Rhine,
May freedom not be lost!
All of us defend for you!

And though it may cost our lifeblood,
Upon a sign from you, everyone shall stand firm,
From the north and south, from the west and east,
To save you, Helvetia!