Iceland

Icelandic original[13]IPA transcription[a]Literal English translationPoetic English translation[14]
I
Ó, guð vors lands! Ó, lands vors guð!
Vér lofum þitt heilaga, heilaga nafn!
Úr sólkerfum himnanna hnýta þér krans
þínir herskarar, tímanna safn.
Fyrir þér er einn dagur sem þúsund ár
og þúsund ár dagur, ei meir:
eitt eilífðar smáblóm með titrandi tár,
sem tilbiður guð sinn og deyr.
Íslands þúsund ár,
Íslands þúsund ár,
eitt eilífðar smáblóm með titrandi tár,
sem tilbiður guð sinn og deyr.

II
Ó guð, ó guð! Vér föllum fram
og fórnum þér brennandi, brennandi sál,
guð faðir, vor drottinn frá kyni til kyns,
og vér kvökum vort helgasta mál.
Vér kvökum og þökkum í þúsund ár,
því þú ert vort einasta skjól.
Vér kvökum og þökkum með titrandi tár,
því þú tilbjóst vort forlagahjól.
Íslands þúsund ár,
Íslands þúsund ár!
Voru morgunsins húmköldu, hrynjandi tár,
sem hitna við skínandi sól.

III
Ó, guð vors lands! Ó, lands vors guð!
Vér lifum sem blaktandi, blaktandi strá.
Vér deyjum, ef þú ert ei ljós það og líf,
sem að lyftir oss duftinu frá.
Ó, vert þú hvern morgun vort ljúfasta líf,
vor leiðtogi í daganna þraut
og á kvöldin vor himneska hvíld og vor hlíf
og vor hertogi á þjóðlífsins braut.
Íslands þúsund ár,
Íslands þúsund ár!
verði gróandi þjóðlíf með þverrandi tár,
sem þroskast á guðsríkis braut.
1
[ou̯ː ǀ kvʏːð vɔr̥s lans ‖ ou̯ː ǀ lans vɔr̥s kvʏːð ‖]
[vjɛːr lɔː.vʏm θɪht hei̯ː.la.ɣa ǀ hei̯ː.la.ɣa napn̥ ‖]
[uːr sou̯ːl.cʰɛr.vʏm hɪm.nan.na n̥iː.tʰa θjɛːr kʰrans]
[θiː.nɪr hɛr.ska.rar ǀ tʰiː.man.na sapn̥ ‖]
[fiː.rɪr θjɛr ɛːr ei̯tn̥ taː.ɣʏr sɛm θuː.sʏnt au̯ːr̥]
[ɔɣ θuː.sʏnt au̯ːr taː.ɣʏr ǀ ei̯ː mei̯ːr̥ ‖]
[ei̯ht ei̯ː.liv.ðar smau̯.plou̯m mɛð tʰɪːt.ran.tɪ tʰau̯ːr̥ ǀ]
[sɛm tʰɪːl.pɪ.ðʏr kvʏːð sɪnː ɔɣ tei̯ːr̥ ‖]
[ist.lans θuː.sʏnt au̯ːr̥ ǀ]
[ist.lans θuː.sʏnt au̯ːr̥ ǀ]
[ei̯ht ei̯ː.liv.ðar smau̯.plou̯m mɛð tʰɪːt.ran.tɪ tʰau̯ːr̥ ǀ]
[sɛm tʰɪːl.pɪ.ðʏr kvʏːð sɪnː ɔɣ tei̯ːr̥ ‖]

2
[ou̯ː kvʏːð ǀ ou̯ː kvʏːð ‖ vjɛːr fœt.lʏm fram]
[ɔɣ fou̯rt.nʏm θjɛːr prɛn.nan.tɪ ǀ prɛn.nan.tɪ sau̯ːl̥ ǀ]
[kvʏːð faː.ðɪr ǀ vɔːr trɔʰ.tɪnː frau̯ cɪː.nɪ tʰɪl cɪns ǀ]
[ɔɣ vjɛːr kʰvœː.kʏm vɔr̥t hɛl.kas.ta mau̯ːl̥ ‖]
[vjɛːr kʰvœː.kʏm ɔɣ θœh.kʏm iː θuː.sʏnt au̯ːr̥ ǀ]
[θviː θuː ɛr̥t vɔr̥t ei̯ː.nas.ta scou̯ːl̥ ‖]
[vjɛːr̥ kʰvœː.kʏm ɔɣ θœh.kʏm mɛð tʰɪːt.ran.tɪ tʰau̯ːr̥ ǀ]
[θviː θuː tʰɪl.pjou̯st vɔr̥t fɔr.la.ɣa.çou̯ːl̥ ‖]
[ist.lans θuː.sʏnt au̯ːr̥ ǀ]
[ist.lans θuː.sʏnt au̯ːr̥ ‖]
[vɔː.rʏ mɔr.kʏn.sɪns huːm.kʰœl.tʏ r̥ɪn.jan.tɪ tʰau̯ːr̥ ǀ]
[sɛm hɪht.na vɪð sciː.nan.tɪ sou̯ːl̥ ‖]

3
[ou̯ː ǀ kvʏːð vɔr̥s lans ‖ ou̯ː ǀ lans vɔr̥s kvʏːð ‖]
[vjɛːr lɪː.vʏm sɛm plax.tan.tɪ ǀ plax.tan.tɪ strau̯ː ‖]
[vjɛːr tei̯ː.jʏm ǀ ɛv θuː ɛr̥t eiː ljou̯ːs θaːð ɔɣ liːf ǀ]
[sɛm að lɪf.tɪr ɔsː dʏf.tɪ.nʏ frau̯ː ‖]
[ou̯ː ǀ vɛr̥t θuː kʰvɛrtn̥ mɔr.kʏn vɔr̥t ljuː.vas.ta liːf ǀ]
[vɔːr lei̯ð.tɔ.jɪ‿iː taː.ɣan.na θrœy̯ːt]
[ɔɣ au̯ kʰvœl.tɪn vɔːr hɪm.nɛs.ka kʰvilt ɔɣ vɔːr l̥iːf]
[ɔɣ vɔːr hɛr̥.tɔ.jɪ‿au̯ θjou̯ð.lif.sɪns prœy̯ːt ‖]
[ist.lans θuː.sʏnt au̯ːr̥ ǀ]
[ist.lans θuː.sʏnt au̯ːr̥ ‖]
[vɛr.ðɪ krou̯ː.an.tɪ θjou̯ð.lif mɛð θvɛr.ran.tɪ tʰau̯ːr̥ ǀ]
[sɛm θrɔs.kast au̯ kvʏːð.ri.cɪs prœy̯ːt ‖]
I
Oh, God of our land! Oh, land of ours’ God!
We praise your holy, holy name!
From solar systems of the heavens, tied to you is a wreath
By your armies, a collection of the times.
For to you, one day is like a thousand years
and a thousand years a day, not more:
eternity’s lone small flower with trembling tears,
that worships its own god and dies.
Iceland’s thousand years,
Iceland’s thousand years,
eternity’s lone small flower with trembling tears,
that worships its own god and dies.

II
Oh God, oh God! We fall forward
and sacrifice to you burning, burning soul,
God father, our Lord from kin to kin,
and we pray our holiest speech.
We pray and thank for a thousand years,
since you are the only shelter.
We pray and thank with trembling tears,
since you offered our destiny.
Iceland’s thousand years,
Iceland’s thousand years!
They were morning hoarfrost, collapsing tears,
that warm with shining sun.

III
Oh, God of our land! Oh, land of ours’ God!
We live as a fluttering, fluttering straw.
We die if you are not that light and life
that lifts us from the obscurity.
Oh, be every morning our sweetest life,
our leader in the trial of the days
and in evenings our heavenly rest and our protection
and our commander on national life’s path.
Iceland’s thousand years,
Iceland’s thousand years!
May they become a growing national life with decreasing tears
that develop on God’s kingdom’s path.
I
Our country’s God! Our country’s God!
We worship Thy name in its wonder sublime.
The suns of the heavens are set in Thy crown
By Thy legions, the ages of time!
With Thee is each day as a thousand years,
Each thousand of years, but a day,
Eternity’s flow’r, with its homage of tears,
That reverently passes away.
Iceland’s thousand years,
Iceland’s thousand years!
Eternity’s flow’r, with its homage of tears,
That reverently passes away.

II
Our God, our God, we bow to Thee,
Our spirits most fervent we place in thy care.
Lord, God of our fathers from age unto age,
We are breathing our holiest prayer.
We pray and we thank Thee a thousand years
For safely protected we stand;
We pray and we bring Thee our homage of tears
Our destiny rest in Thy hand.
Iceland’s thousand years,
Iceland’s thousand years!
The hoarfrost of morning which tinted those years,
Thy sun rising high, shall command!

III
Our country’s God! Our country’s God!
Our life is a feeble and quivering reed;
We perish, deprived of Thy spirit and light
To redeem and uphold in our need.
Inspire us at morn with Thy courage and love,
And lead through the days of our strife!
At evening send peace from Thy heaven above,
And safeguard our nation through life.
Iceland’s thousand years,
Iceland’s thousand years!
O, prosper our people, diminish our tears
And guide, in Thy wisdom, through life!