# Kong Christian stod ved højen mast

"Kong Christian stod ved højen mast" (Danish:; lit. 'King Christian Stood by the Lofty Mast'), or simply "Kong Christian", is the unofficial royal anthem of Denmark that officially has equal status of national anthem together with "Der er et yndigt land". However, it is almost exclusively used regarding the Danish royal house and the military. The theme of the song is the heroics of Danish and Norwegian sailors during the wars against Sweden (including the Torstenson War) in the 17th and 18th centuries.
On New Year's Eve, it is tradition to sing along as the Danmarks Radio Girl's Choir sings the song on television immediately after midnight following the other national anthem. Usually, only the first verse is sung on official occasions. Adopted in 1780, it is one of the oldest national anthems in the world.

## History
### History of the lyrics

The lyrics first appeared in May 1778 in Johannes Ewald's vaudeville play The Fishermen, which premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in January 1780 on the birthday of King Christian VII. The play depicts the heroics of fishermen from the northern part of Zealand, who saved many sailors from drowning and then refused to accept a reward for it. For this reason, the play was seen as a tribute to the navy, particularly because of the King Christian song. In the original staging, however, only the final fourth verse was ever sung. The first three verses were omitted because of the animosity they showed towards Sweden, who at the time was an important ally against the United Kingdom as a member of the League of Armed Neutrality.

### Theme

The theme of the song is the heroics of Danish-Norwegian sailors during the wars against Sweden in the 17th and 18th centuries. It specifically names the Danish-Norwegian naval heroes King Christian IV, Niels Juel and Peter Wessel Tordenskiold. The first verse refers to the 1644 Battle of Colberger Heide, where King Christian IV was hurt by shrapnel and thought to be dead but quickly got to his feet and incited his crew to continue the battle.

### History of the music

It has long been debated who composed the song's music. Johann Hartmann, the composer who wrote the score for the original play Fiskerne, where the lyrics first appeared, was originally credited with composing the music.
Another suggestion was that Johannes Ewald's friend, High Court judge Ditlev Ludvig Rogert, known to have played the violin, had been the original composer. This claim was backed up by several 19th-century intellectuals. In 1880, Vilhelm Carl Ravn presented his theory that the score significantly preceded Ewald's poem and had no one particular composer. This is the most commonly supported theory today.
However, even today, the score is often wrongly credited to Friedrich Kuhlau. Kuhlau made "King Christian" a popular anthem by using his own arrangement of the score in his play Elverhøj, which premiered at the wedding between Crown Prince Frederik (the later King Frederik VII) and Princess Vilhelmine in November 1828.

## Lyrics

| Danish original | IPA transcription | English translation (by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) |
| Kong Christian stod ved højen mast i røg og damp; hans værge hamrede så fast, at gotens hjelm og hjerne brast. Da sank hvert fjendtligt spejl og mast i røg og damp. Fly, skreg de, fly, hvad flygte kan! hvo står for Danmarks Christian hvo står for Danmarks Christian i kamp? Niels Juel gav agt på stormens brag. Nu er det tid. Han hejsede det røde flag og slog på fjenden slag i slag. Da skreg de højt blandt stormens brag: Nu er det tid! Fly, skreg de, hver, som véd et skjul! hvo kan bestå mod Danmarks Juel hvo kan bestå mod Danmarks Juel i strid? O, Nordhav! Glimt af Wessel brød din mørke sky. Da ty'de kæmper til dit skød; thi med ham lynte skræk og død. Fra valen hørtes vrål, som brød den tykke sky. Fra Danmark lyner Tordenskjold; hver give sig i himlens vold hver give sig i himlens vold og fly! Du danskes vej til ros og magt, sortladne hav! Modtag din ven, som uforsagt tør møde faren med foragt så stolt som du mod stormens magt, sortladne hav! Og rask igennem larm og spil og kamp og sejr før mig til og kamp og sejr før mig til min grav! | [kʰɔŋ ˈkʰʁes.tjæn stoðˀ ʋeð ˈhɔ.jən mæst] [i ʁɔjˀ ɒ(w) d̥ɑmˀp] [hæns ˈʋɛɐ̯.wə ˈhɑm.(ʁ)ɐ.ðə sɔ fæst] [æt ˈɡ̊oˀ.tˢəns jɛlˀm ɒ(w) ˈjɛɐ̯.nə b̥ʁæst] [d̥æ sɑŋˀk ʋɛɐ̯ˀt ˈfjend̥.lit spɑjˀl ɒ(w) mæst] [i ʁɔjˀ ɒ(w) d̥ɑmˀp] [flyˀ skʁɑjˀ d̥i flyˀ ʋæð̠˕ˠ ˈfløɡ̊.tə kʰænˀ] [voːˀ stɒˀ fɔ ˈd̥æn.mɑks ˈkʰʁes.ti.æn] [voːˀ stɒˀ fɔ ˈd̥æn.mɑks ˈkʰʁes.ti.æn] [i kʰɑmˀp] [nelˀs juːl ɡ̊ɛˀʋ ɑɡ̊t pʰɔ̽ ˈstɒː.məns b̥ʁɑˀw] [nu ɛɐ̯ d̥e tˢiˀð] [hæn ˈhɑj.sə.ðə d̥e ˈʁøː.ðə fl̥æˀ(j)] [ɒw sl̥oˀ pʰɔ̽ ˈfjen.nˀən ˈsl̥æˀ(j) i ˈsl̥æˀ(j)] [d̥æ skʁɑjˀ d̥i hɔjˀt b̥lænˀt ˈstɒː.məns b̥ʁɑˀw] [nu ɛɐ̯ d̥e tˢiˀð] [flyˀ skʁɑjˀ d̥i ʋɛˀɐ̯ sʌm ʋeðˀ e̝t skjuˀl] [voːˀ kʰænˀ b̥e.ˈstɔˀ moˀð ˈd̥æn.mɑks juːl] [voːˀ kʰænˀ b̥e.ˈstɔˀ moˀð ˈd̥æn.mɑks juːl] [i stʁiðˀ] [oˀ ˈnoɐ̯.hɑw ɡ̊lemˀt a ˈʋɛ.səl b̥ʁœðˀ] [d̥iːˀn ˈmɶɐ̯.kə skyˀ] [d̥æ tˢyː.ðə ˈkʰɛm.pɐ tˢel d̥it skøð] [tˢi mɛð hɑ̈mˀ lyn.tə skʁæ(j)k ɒ(w) d̥øˀð] [fʁ̥ɑ ˈʋæː.lən høɐ̯ˀ.təs ʋʁɔːˀl sɔm b̥ʁœðˀ] [d̥ɛnˀ tˢy.kə skyˀ] [fʁ̥ɑ ˈd̥æn.mɑk ˈlyː.nɐ ˈtˢoɐ̯.d̥ən.ˌskjʌlˀ] [ʋɛˀɐ̯ ˈɡ̊iː.ʋə sɑj i ˈhem.ləns ʋʌlˀ] [ʋɛˀɐ̯ ˈɡ̊iː.ʋə sɑj i ˈhem.ləns ʋɔlˀ] [ɒw flyˀ] [d̥u ˈd̥æns.kəs ʋɑjˀ tˢel ʁoˀs ɒ(w) mɑɡ̊t] [ˈsoɐ̯t.ˌlæːð.nə hɑw] [ˈmoˀð.tˢæˀ(j) d̥iːˀn ʋɛn sʌm ˈu.fɔ.ˌsɑɡ̊t] [tˢɶɐ̯ ˈmøː.ðə ˈfɑː.ʁən mɛð fɔ.ˈɑɡ̊t] [sʌ stɔlˀt sɔm d̥u moˀð stɒː.məns mɑɡ̊t] [ˈsoɐ̯t.ˌlæːð.nə hɑw] [ɒw ʁask i.ɡ̊ɛ(n).nˀəm lɑːˀm ɒ(w) spel] [ɒ(w) kʰɑmˀp ɒ(w) sɑjˀɐ føɐ̯ˀ mɑ(j) tˢel] [ɒ(w) kʰɑmˀp ɒ(w) sɑjˀɐ føɐ̯ˀ mɑj tˢel] [miːˀn ɡ̊ʁɑwˀ] | King Christian stood by the lofty mast In mist and smoke; His sword was hammering so fast, Through Gothic helm and brain it passed; Then sank each hostile hulk and mast, In mist and smoke. "Fly!" shouted they, "fly, he who can! Who braves of Denmark's Christian, Who braves of Denmark's Christian, The stroke?" Niels Juel gave heed to the tempest's roar, Now is the hour! He hoisted his blood-red flag once more, And smote upon the foe full sore, And shouted loud, through the tempest's roar, "Now is the hour!" "Fly!" shouted they, "for shelter fly! Of Denmark's Juel who can defy, Of Denmark's Juel who can defy, The power?" North Sea! a glimpse of Wessel rent Thy murky sky! Then champions to thine arms were sent; Terror and Death glared where he went; From the waves was heard a wail, that rent Thy murky sky! From Denmark thunders Tordenskiol', Let each to Heaven commend his soul, Let each to Heaven commend his soul, And fly! Path of the Dane to fame and might! Dark-rolling wave! Receive thy friend, who, scorning flight, Goes to meet danger with despite, Proudly as thou the tempest's might, Dark-rolling wave! And 'mid pleasures and alarms, And war and victory, be thine arms, And war and victory, be thine arms, My grave! |