Ostpreußenlied

The Ostpreußenlied (Old Prussian: Prūsas Grīma / Prūsas Grēma, English: Song of East Prussia, The East Prussian Song, or Land of Dark Forests) was considered the regional anthem of East Prussia.

Ostpreußenlied
Prūsas Grīma / Prūsas Grēma

English: Song of East Prussia
Regional anthem of East Prussia
Lyrics	Erich Hannighofer, 1930s
Music	Herbert Brust, 1930
Adopted	1930s (as regional anthem)
Relinquished	1945
Preceded by	Sie sagen all, du bist nicht schön
Audio sample
Ostpreußenlied file help

Origin

In the early 1930s, the composer from Königsberg (today Kaliningrad, Russia) Herbert Brust (born April 17, 1900, died June 26, 1968) composed the "Oratorium der Heimat" ("Oratory of the Fatherland"). The writer Erich Hannighofer added four stanzas to the final part of the text, and the resulting "Song of East Prussia" was met with great interest. It was later adopted and replaced the old anthem Sie sagen all, du bist nicht schön. In 1945, after the exile of Germans from East Prussia, one more stanza sometimes appeared; however it was not made by Hannighofer, for he had already went missing by the 1st of January of the same year.

Lyrics

	German original	English translation
1.	Land der dunklen Wälder Und kristall'nen Seen, über weite Felder Lichte Wunder geh'n	Land of Somber forests And crystal-clear lakes Across wide-open plains Vivid wonders occur.
2.	Starke Bauern schreiten Hinter Pferd und Pflug, über Ackerbreiten Streift der Vogelzug.	Strong plowmen are striding Behind steed and plow. All across the farmland The migratory birds fly.
3.	Und die Meere rauschen Den choral der Zeit Elche steh'n und lauschen In Die Ewigkeit.	And the Seas are roaring The choral of time, Elks stand and listen Into eternity.
4.	Tag ist aufgegangen über Haff und Moor, Licht hat angefangen, Steigt im Ost empor.	The day has broken, Across lagoon and moor, The light has risen Rising in the east.
5.	Heimat wohlgeborgen zwischen Strand und Strom, blühe heut' und morgen unterm Friedensdom.	Home safe and sound, Between beach and stream, Bloom today and tomorrow Under the dome of peace.

Sometimes, the third, fourth and fifth verses are rotated upwards to the order of 1-2-4-5-3, instead of the 1-2-3-4-5 that it should be, even when there is no extra verse.

In the year 2000, it was translated into Old Prussian by Mikkels Klussis, and today there are two versions of it, with slight differences in spelling:

	Original Version	Twānkstas Prūsa
1.	Timran meddin tāuta Eīskun azzaran Kīrša plattun laūkan Swāiksti Pāitaran.	Timran meddjan tāuta Eīskun azzaran Kīrsa plattun laūkan Swāiksti pāitaran.
2.	Kīrša pelkins, teīnan Austrā jāu etskīt Tīt pagaūne dēinan Skīstan swāikstan, tīt.	Kīrsa pelkins, teīnan Āustra jāu etskīt Tēt pagaūnja dēinan Skīstan swāikstan, tēt.
3.	Treppa spārtai būrai, Pas plūgan dei ēit, Be en dāngu dūrai Pippelka jāu skreīt.	Treppa spārtai būrai, Pas plūgan dei ēit, Be en dāngu dūrai Pippelka jāu skreīt.
4.	Jūris tenna grīmuns Iz deiwūtiskwan, Braīdis enklausīwuns Ēn prabūtiskwan.	Jūris tenna grēmuns Iz deiwūtiskwan, Braīdis enklausīwuns Ēn Prabūtiskwan.

Links

Ostpreußenlied on YouTube

Prūsas Grīma on YouTube