"Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" ("God Save Emperor Franz") is an anthem to the Austrian Emperor Francis II, set to music by Joseph Haydn, the anthem served as the national anthem of Austria-Hungary.
Contents
For full information on this anthem, see the main Wikipedia article concerning it.
The German lyrics were written by Lorenz Leopold Haschka (1749–1827). The anthem was translated and adapted into many of the languages that were spoken in the Empire.
Hungarian
Translation:
God hold and protect our King and common land! Gaining strength from the holy faith may he pass his wise orders! Let us protect his crown from wherever the danger comes, Hungarian land with the Habsburg crown has been united by a godly hand.
Czech
Translation of Austrian anthem during the reign of Franz Joseph I (1848–1916)
Lidová hymna
Translation (1st stanza):
Preserve for us, o Lord, / The Emperor and our land; / Let his power flow from faith, / Let he be a wise ruler. / Let us defend his throne faithfully / Against all the enemies; / The fate of the Habsburg's throne / Is the fate of Austria. /
Croatian
Carevka
Translation of the first verse:
Oh God, may you hail, Oh God, let's protect our king and our homeland! Eternally let's Thou adorn her with glory, Let's Thou strengthen her with force, with ( your) own! So, let's Thou multiplicate to us the joyful days, granting her to the Hasbourgs' house, with her (the House's) strength grant us to forever connect, for your's sake, the spendor of Croatian Crown.Polish
Hymn Ludowy
Translation (1st stanza):
God, support, God, protect / The Emperor for us, and our land; / Shield His reign with the shield of faith, / Give strength to His country. / Let us defend His throne faithfully, / Let us reverse every strike of enemy, / Because to the Habsburg's throne is bound / For ages the fate of Austria.
Slovene
Cesarska
Italian
Inno patriottico or Inno popolare
Translation: God keep the reign of Austria, And keep our emperor! In the faith that is his support May he rule us with wise love. Let us defend the ancestral garland That adorns his royal hair. May the united throne of Austria Always be with the fate of Habsburg.
Let us be together a pious and strong defense Of right and duty; And let us with happy hope run To sustain the battle! Remembering the wounds That covered us with laurels; We will give possessions and lives To country and lord.
To the beautiful treasures of industry May the good warrior be guardian; May skills and learning Have bloodless and gentle triumphs! May Heaven bless and make Glorious our country's ground, And may the sun always shine peacefully Over Austria!
Let us be in agreement; in united strength Is the core of power; Old undertakings will be completed If there is concord among us. Let us be brothers, and may one thought And one heart join us; May this Empire last eternally, God save the Emperor!
Ukrainian (Ruthenian)
According to 19th century Western Ukrainian orthography, with current official Latin transliteration.
Народний гімн
Translation:
God, be the protector / for the Emperor and His lands! / A ruler strong with faith, / May he lead us wisely! / His crown of great-grandfathers, / Let us defend from the enemy, / Tightly to the Habsburg's throne / The fate of Austria has been bound!
Friulian (dialect of Gorizia)
Chiant popolar publicad par la prima volta in dialet gurizan