Attention! Some of this material is not in the public domain.
It is illegal to copy and distribute our copyright-protected material without permission. It is also illegal to reprint copyright texts or translations without the name of the author or translator.
To inquire about permissions and rates, contact Emily Ezust at licenses@email.lieder.example.net
If you wish to reprint translations, please make sure you include the names of the translators in your email. They are below each translation.
Note: You must use the copyright symbol © when you reprint copyright-protected material.
In heilger Andacht grüß' ich dich Hie oben, theures Vaterland! Vom eisgen Gipfel feierlich Reichst du hinüber mir die Hand. Kein Blümlein winkt, kein Grün mehr lacht, Und still ist's wie um Mitternacht: Mein Vaterland! -- Gott sieht darein! -- In Noth und Tod bin dein ich, dein! Und horch! wie die Lawine saust Und Amen spricht zum heilgen Bund, Und jäh der Gletscherbach erbraust Wie Orgelschall, aus tiefstem Grund, Mit lautem Schrei ein Aar sich wiegt, Und über's Eis die Gemse fliegt: Mein Vaterland! -- Gott sieht darein! -- In Noth und Tod bin dein ich, dein! Und voller Freude glühn und sprühn Im Abendlicht die Gipfel all, Und fernher von den Weiden grün Tönt sanft der Heerdenglocken Schall, Und würzig durch die klare Luft Hinauf zieht's wie ein Opferduft: Mein Vaterland! -- Gott sieht darein! -- In Noth und Tod bin dein ich, dein!
Confirmed with Liederbuch von Friedrich Oser, 1842-1874. Mit einem biographischen Verzeichnis der Componisten, Basel: Benno Schwabe, Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1875, pages 294-295.
Text Authorship:
- by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Schwur an das Vaterland", appears in Liederbuch, in 4. Vaterlandslieder, no. 319 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ferdinand Kamm (1845 - 1897), "Schwur an das Vaterland", published 1880 [ men's chorus ], from Neue Gesänge für den Männerchor, Heft 2, no. 1, St. Gallen, Zürich: Hug [sung text not yet checked]
- by Johann Jakob Nater (1826 - 1906) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jakob Eduard Schmölzer (1812 - 1886) [sung text not yet checked]
- by Karl Seitz (1844 - 1905), "Schwur an das Vaterland", op. 48, published 1887 [ ttbb chorus ], Leipzig: Robolsky [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Sharon Krebs) , "Vow to my homeland", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-15
Line count: 24
Word count: 141
In holy reverence I greet you Up here, dear homeland! With ceremony from the icy peak You stretch your hand over to me. No little flower beckons, no green smiles any longer, And it is as quiet as at midnight: My homeland! -- God looks down upon you! -- In distress and death I am thine, thine! And hark! how the avalanche rushes down And speaks the Amen to the holy bond, And precipitously the glacial brook begins to roar, Like the sound of an organ; from the deepest depths, With a loud cry the eagle rises and soars, And the mountain goat flies over the ice: My homeland! -- God looks down upon you! -- In distress and death I am thine, thine! And full of joy all the mountain tops Glow and sparkle in the evening light, And from afar, from the green meadows, The sound of cowbells rings out softly, And through the clear air there floats upward An aromatic scent like that of an offering: My homeland! -- God looks down upon you! -- In distress and death I am thine, thine!
Text Authorship:
- Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2026 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in German (Deutsch) by Friedrich Heinrich Oser (1820 - 1891), "Schwur an das Vaterland", appears in Liederbuch, in 4. Vaterlandslieder, no. 319
This text was added to the website: 2026-07-21
Line count: 24
Word count: 181