Brabançonne

Brabançonne

Cover of a score of the Brabançonne, dated around 1910
National anthem of  Belgium
Lyrics	Jenneval (Louis-Alexandre Dechet), 1830
Music	François Van Campenhout, 1830
Adopted	1860, 1921
Music sample
The Brabançonne (Instrumental)

Score of the Brabançonne

Lithograph of Jenneval

Lithograph of Campenhout singing the Brabançonne

The Brabançonne monument in Brussels

The Brabançonne is the national anthem of Belgium. In the originally French language, the term normally refers to Brabant, literally Brabantian in English. The untranslated initial name is maintained for the Dutch and the German lyrics, that at a later stage ensured reflecting all three official languages of the country.^[1]

History

According to legend, the Belgian national anthem was written in September 1830, during the Belgian Revolution, by a young revolutionary called "Jenneval", who read the lyrics during a meeting at the Aigle d'Or café.

Jenneval, a Frenchman whose real name was Alexandre Dechet (sometimes known as Louis-Alexandre Dechet), did in fact write the Brabançonne. At the time, he was an actor at the theatre where, in August 1830, the revolution started which led to independence from the Netherlands. Jenneval died in the war of independence. François Van Campenhout composed the accompanying score and it was first performed in September 1830.

In 1860, Belgium formally adopted the song and music as its national anthem, although the then prime minister, Charles Rogier edited out lyrics attacking the Dutch Prince of Orange.

The ending, pledging loyalty to "Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté!" ("The King, and Law, and Liberty!") is an obvious parallel to the French "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité" - with the republican sentiment of the original replaced in the Belgian version by the promotion of constitutional monarchy (the combination of "The King" and "(the) Law" is what produces "Liberty"). Actually, a slogan similar to the Belgian one - "la Nation, la Loi, le Roi" ("The Nation, The Law, The King") - had been used in the early days of the French Revolution, when that revolution was still considered to be aimed toward constitutional monarchy rather than a republic.

The Brabançonne is also a monument (1930) by the sculptor Charles Samuel on the Surlet de Chokier square in Brussels. The monument contains partial lyrics of both the French and Dutch versions of the anthem. Like many elements in Belgian folklore, this is mainly based on the French "La Marseillaise" which is also both an anthem and the name of a monument - the sculptural group Departure of the Volunteers of 1792, commonly called "La Marseillaise", at the base of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Lyrics

First version (end of August 1830)

Dignes enfants de la Belgique

Qu’un beau délire a soulevé,

À votre élan patriotique

De grand succès sont réservés.

Restons armés que rien ne change !

Gardons la même volonté,

Et nous verrons refleurir l’Orange

Sur l’arbre de la Liberté.

Aux cris de meurtre et de pillage,

Des méchants s’étaient rassemblés,

Mais votre énergique courage

Loin de vous les a refoulés.

Maintenant, purs de cette fange

Qui flétrissait votre cité,

Amis, il faut greffer l’Orange

Sur l’arbre de la Liberté.

Et toi, dans qui ton peuple espère,

Nassau, consacre enfin nos droits ;

Des Belges en restant le père

Tu seras l’exemple des rois.

Abjure un ministre étrange,

Rejette un nom trop détesté,

Et tu verras mûrir l’Orange

Sur l’arbre de la Liberté.

Mais malheur, si, de l’arbitraire

Protégeant les affreux projets,

Sur nous du canon sanguinaire,

Tu venais lancer les boulets !

Alors tout est fini, tout change,

Plus de pacte, plus de traité,

Et tu verras tomber l’Orange

De l’arbre de la Liberté.

Second version (end of September 1830)

Qui l’aurait cru ? …de l’arbitraire

Consacrant les affreux projets,

Sur nous de l’airain militaire

Un prince a lancé les boulets.

C’en est fait ! Oui, Belges, tout change,

Avec Nassau plus d’indigne traité !

La mitraille a brisé l’Orange

Sur l’arbre de la Liberté.

Trop généreuse en sa colère,

La Belgique, vengeant ses droits,

D’un roi, qu’elle appelait son père,

N’implorait que de justes lois.

Mais lui dans sa fureur étrange,

Par le canon que son fils a pointé,

Au sang belge a noyé l’Orange

Sous l’arbre de la Liberté.

Fiers brabançons, peuples de braves,

Qu’on voit combattre sans fléchir,

Du sceptre honteux des Bataves,

Tes balles sauront t’affranchir.

Sur Bruxelles, au pied de l’archange,

Ton saint drapeau pour jamais est planté,

Et, fier de verdir sans l’Orange,

Croît l’arbre de la Liberté.

Et vous, objets de nobles larmes,

Braves, morts au feu des cannons,

Avant que la patrie en armes

Ait pu connaître au moins vos noms,

Sous l’humble terre où l’on vous range,

Dormez, martyrs, bataillon indompté !

Dormez en paix, loin de l’Orange,

Sous l’arbre de la Liberté.

Third version (1860)

Après des siècles et des siècles d'esclavage,

Le Belge sortant du tombeau

A reconquis par sa force et son courage

Son nom, ses droits et son drapeau.

Et ta main souveraine et fière,

Désormais, peuple indompté,

Grava sur ta vieille bannière :

Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté !

Grava sur ta vieille bannière :

Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté !

Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté !

Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté !

Unofficial English translations^[2]

First version (end of August 1830) (in English)

Worthy children of Belgium

Whom a fine passion has aroused,

To your patriotic fervour

Great successes lie in store.

Remain under arms, so that naught shall change!

Let us keep to the same will,

And we shall see Orange bloom anew

Upon the tree of Liberty.

To cries of murder and pillage,

The wicked had rallied around,

But your forceful courage

Has pushed them far away.

Now, pure of this filth

That was soiling your city,

Friends, we must graft Orange

Onto the tree of Liberty.

And you, in whom your people place their hopes,

Nassau, set firm our rights at last;

Remaining the father of the Belgians,

You'll be the example of kings.

Forswear a foreign minister,

Reject a too hated name,

And you will see Orange ripen

Upon the tree of Liberty.

But woe to you if, wilfully,

Pursuing dreadful plans,

You turn on us

The bloody cannon's fire!

Then all is over, all is changing;

No more pact, no more treaty,

And you shall see Orange fall

From the tree of Liberty.

Second version (end of September 1830) (in English)

Who'd have believed it? ... wilfully

Pursuing dreadful plans,

On us, with cannon's brass,

A prince has opened fire.

It has been done! Yes, Belgians, all is changing;

No more unworthy treaty with Nassau!

Grapeshot has shattered Orange

Upon the tree of Liberty.

Too generous in her anger,

Belgium, avenging her rights,

From a king, whom she called her father,

Sought no more than just laws.

But he, in his unexpected fury,

By the cannon aimed by his son

Has drowned Orange in Belgian blood

Beneath the tree of Liberty.

O proud, brave people of Brabant,

Seen not to flinch amid the fight,

From the Batavians' shameful sceptre

Your bullets will set you free.

On Brussels, together with the archangel^[3]

Your holy flag is planted for ever;

And, proud to grow green without Orange,

Grows higher the tree of Liberty.

And you, objects of noble tears,

The brave, who died under cannon fire,

Before the Fatherland, under arms,

Could know at least your names,

Beneath the humble earth where you are laid,

Sleep, martyrs, unbroken battalion!

Sleep in peace, far from Orange,

Beneath the tree of Liberty.

Third version (1860) (in English)

After century on century in slavery,

The Belgian, arising from the tomb,

Has reconquered through his strength and courage

His name, his rights and his flag.

And now, undaunted people,

Your hand, sovereign and proud,

Has inscribed on your ancient banner:

The King, and Law, and Liberty!

Inscribed on your ancient banner:

The King, and Law, and Liberty!

The King, and Law, and Liberty!

Current version

Various committees were charged with reviewing the text and tune of the Brabançonne and establishing an official version. A ministerial circular of the Ministry of the Interior on August 8, 1921, decreed that only the fourth verse of the text by Charles Rogier should be considered official, both in French and in Dutch. Here below:

French language official text (La Brabançonne)

Ô Belgique, ô mère chérie,

À toi nos cœurs, à toi nos bras,

À toi notre sang, ô Patrie !

Nous le jurons tous, tu vivras !

Tu vivras toujours grande et belle

Et ton invincible unité

Aura pour devise immortelle :

Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté !

Aura pour devise immortelle :

Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté !

Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté !

Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté !

Dutch language official text (De Brabançonne)

O dierbaar België, O heilig land der Vad'ren,

Onze ziel en ons hart zijn u gewijd.

Aanvaard ons kracht en bloed van ons ad'ren,

Wees ons doel in arbeid en in strijd.

Bloei, o land, in eendracht niet te breken;

Wees immer uzelf en ongeknecht,

Het woord getrouw, dat g' onbevreesd moogt spreken,

Voor Vorst, voor Vrijheid en voor Recht!

Het woord getrouw, dat g' onbevreesd moogt spreken,

Voor Vorst, voor Vrijheid en voor Recht!

Voor Vorst, voor Vrijheid en voor Recht!

Voor Vorst, voor Vrijheid en voor Recht!

German language official text (Die Brabançonne)

O liebes Land, o Belgiens Erde,

Dir unser Herz, Dir unsere Hand,

Dir unser Blut, o Heimaterde,

wir schwören's Dir, o Vaterland!

So blühe froh in voller Schöne,

zu der die Freiheit Dich erzog,

und fortan singen Deine Söhne:

Gesetz und König und die Freiheit hoch!

und fortan singen Deine Söhne:

Gesetz und König und die Freiheit hoch!

Gesetz und König und die Freiheit hoch!

Gesetz und König und die Freiheit hoch!

Walloon version (Li Braibançone)

Po nosse Beldjike, nosse firté, nosse bele Patreye,

S' il est reki, ci djoû la, nos mourrans !

Li Liberté våt k' on sacrifeye si veye,

Po-z è leyî profiter nos efants !

Dins nozôtes, k' est vaici, i gn a pont d’ låtches,

So nos tertos, nosse payis pout conter !

Flaminds, Walons, tchantans, tchaeke e s’ lingaedje :

Li Rwè, li Lwè et l’ Liberté !

S' i sorvénreut, come mwints côps e noste istwere,

K' on mwais vijhén nos vôreut ocuper,

Maké po d’ bon, l' fayé recourrè sins glwere

Et pus djamåy, i n' oizrè nous ataker !

On Bedje n' est nén fwait po esse on sclåve,

I gn a måy yeu nolu a nos dompter.

Flaminds, Walons, les Bedjes sont les pus bråves,

Cezår li djheut et nos plans co tchanter :

Li Rwè, li Lwè et l’ Liberté !

Unofficial English translations^[2]

Current French version (in English)

O Belgium - O mother dear -

To you we stretch our hearts and arms,

With blood to spill for you, O fatherland!

We swear with one cry - You shall live!

You shall live, so great and beautiful,

And your invincible unity

Shall have for device immortal -

The King, and Law, and Liberty!

Shall have for device immortal -

The King, and Law, and Liberty!

The King, and Law, and Liberty!

The King, and Law, and Liberty!

Current Dutch version (in English)

O dear Belgium, O holy land of our fathers -

Our soul and our hearts are devoted to you!

Accept our strength and the blood in our veins,

Be our goal, in work and struggle.

Prosper, O land, in unbreakable unity;

Always be yourself and serve no other,

Faithful to the word that you may speak boldly,

For King, for Freedom and for Law!

Faithful to the word that you may speak boldly,

For King, for Freedom and for Law!

For King, for Freedom and for Law!

For King, for Freedom and for Law!

Current German version (in English)

O dear country, O Belgium's soil,

To you our hearts, our hands to you,

To you our blood, O native land,

We swear to you, O fatherland!

So gladly bloom in beauty full,

Into what freedom has taught you to be,

And evermore shall sing your sons:

To Law and King and Freedom, hail!

And evermore shall sing your sons:

To Law and King and Freedom, hail!

To Law and King and Freedom, hail!

To Law and King and Freedom, hail!

See also

• De Vlaamse Leeuw
• Le Chant des Wallons
• Martyrs' Square, Brussels

Notes

1. ^ In English, one may refer to Brabant by the adjectives Brabantine or Brabantian, but only the latter term is (nearly) as general as French "Brabançon", which can also be a substantive for e.g. the dialect, a man, or a horse or its breed from Brabant. In French, "Brabançonne" is the female of "Brabançon" and matches the preceding definite article "la", thus might fit an implied e.g. "chanson", ('song'). But neither the female definite article in German "die Brabançonne" nor the male "den Brabançonne" in Brabantian aka Brabantine dialects of Dutch can fit 'song', which is "Lied" in German and "lied" in Dutch, both of neutre genus. In today's standard Dutch, "de Brabançonne" does not betray whether the gender is male or female, but can not be used for a neutre substantive either, and referring to "de Brabançonne" by "hij" confirms the male interpretation of Dutch dialects. For the anthem name in English, as in Dutch, German, and of course French, Brabançonne can be considered a proper noun.
2. ^ ^{a b} For Wikipedia.
3. ^ St. Michael the Archangel, a patron saint of Brussels. The image seems to be of the Belgian flag flying from the towers of St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral, Brussels.

External links

• Les Arquebusiers History, versions (text and audio) and illustrations
• Audio files
  • Belgium National Anthem instrumental File MIDI (5ko)
  • Belgium National Anthem instrumental (better) File AU (570ko)
  • YouTube Helmut Lotti sings the Brabançonne in French, Dutch and German before King Albert II