Poetry
Lofsöngur
Not translated into English
Matthías Jochumsson · 1874
Synopsis
Three stanzas addressed to the God of the land, praising his holy name. The first contrasts Iceland's thousand years with the eternity of God, before whom a thousand years are as a day, according to the psalm; the second gives thanks for a thousand years of protection and shows the people bowed before him, placing their hope in his hands; the third asks him for guidance and support for a fragile human life, which depends on his light, and for the nation's future.
Context
The bishop of Iceland had fixed, for the sermons of 2 August 1874, the day of the millennium of the settlement, Psalm ninety, verses one to four and twelve to seventeen, and the poem is drawn from it. Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson composes the music in Edinburgh, in a house at 15 London Street where a plaque commemorates him. The song is performed that day at the cathedral in Reykjavik, before King Christian IX of Denmark. Long eclipsed by Eldgamla Ísafold, it is played as the national anthem at the proclamation of sovereignty, in 1918, and a law of 1983 forbids performing it in any form other than the original.
Who it is for
Three stanzas in Icelandic, of which usually only the first is sung; the melody, very wide in range, is difficult for many.
Prizes and reception
The anthem of Iceland, more a hymn than a patriotic song; the State has held the rights since 1948 and 1949.