Heil dir im Siegerkranz

"Hail Thee to Victor's Crown"

**National anthem of the German Empire**

**Royal anthem of Prussia**

"**Hail Thee to Victor's Crown**" was the national anthem of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918 when "Deutschlandlied" was used in lieu of it when the Weimar Republic (German Reich) was established. It was additionally the royal anthem of Prussia from 1795 to 1918, while its national anthem was "Preussenlied". Having its melody based on that of "God Save the Queen", the lyrics were written by Protestant pastor Heinrich Harries in 1790.

"Die Wacht am Rhein" was often regarded to be the unofficial national anthem.

"Heil unserm König, Heil!", the national anthem of the Kingdom of Bavaria, used the same melody. Other German-language anthems used the tune of the British anthem, such as "Rufst du, mein Vaterland" and "Oben am jungen Rhein".

The Hawaiian anthem "Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī" is a variation of the melody, as it was composed by Henri Berger, a Prussian Kapellmeister who was the royal bandmaster of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi between 1872 and 1915.

## Lyrics

### German original

Heil dir im Siegerkranz,
Herrscher des Vaterlands!
Heil, Kaiser, dir!
𝄆 Fühl in des Thrones Glanz
Die hohe Wonne ganz,
Liebling des Volks zu sein!
Heil Kaiser, dir! 𝄇

Nicht Roß, nicht Reisige
Sichern die steile Höh’,
Wo Fürsten stehn:
𝄆 Liebe des Vaterlands,
Liebe des freien Manns
Gründen den Herrschers Thron
Wie Fels im Meer. 𝄇

Heilige Flamme, glüh’,
Glüh’ und erlösche nie
Für’s Vaterland!
𝄆 Wir alle stehen dann
Mutig für einen Mann,
Kämpfen und bluten gern
Für Thron und Reich! 𝄇

Handlung und Wissenschaft
Hebe mit Mut und Kraft
Ihr Haupt empor!
𝄆 Krieger und Heldenthat
Finde ihr Lorbeerblatt
Treu aufgehoben dort,
An deinem Thron! 𝄇

Sei, Kaiser Wilhelm, hier
Lang deines Volkes Zier,
Der Menschheit Stolz!
𝄆 Fühl in des Thrones Glanz,
Die hohe Wonne ganz,
Liebling des Volks zu sein!
Heil, Kaiser, dir! 𝄇

[haɪ̯l diːɐ̯ ɪm ˈziː.ɡɐ.ˌkʁant͡s]
[ˈhɛɐ̯.ʃɐ deːs ˈfa.tɐ.ˌlant͡s]
[haɪ̯l ˈkaɪ̯.zɐ diːɐ̯]
𝄆 [fyːl ɪn deːs ˈtʁoː.nəs glant͡s]
[diː hoːə ˈvɔ.nə gant͡s]
[ˈliː.blɪŋ deːs ˈfɔlks t͡suː zaɪ̯n]
[haɪ̯l ˈkaɪ̯.zɐ diːɐ̯] 𝄇

[nɪçt ˈʁoːs nɪçt ˈʁaɪ̯.zɪ.gə]
[ˈzɪ.çɐn diː ˈʃtaɪ̯.lə høː]
[voː ˈfʏɐ̯.stn̩ ˈʃteː(ə)n]
𝄆 [ˈliː.bə deːs ˈfa.tɐ.ˌlant͡s]
[ˈliː.bə deːs ˈfʁaɪ̯.ən mans]
[ˈɡʁʏn.dn̩ deːn ˈhɛɐ̯.ʃɐs tʁoːn]
[viː ˈfɛls ɪm ˈmeːɐ̯] 𝄇

[ˈhaɪ̯.lɪ.gə ˈfla.mə glyː]
[glyː ʊnt ɛɐ̯.ˈlœ.ʃə niː]
[fyːɐ̯s ˈfa.tɐ.ˌlant]
𝄆 [viːɐ̯ ˈa.lə ˈʃteː(ə)n dan]
[ˈmuː.tɪç fyːɐ̯ ˈaɪ̯.nən man]
[ˈkɛm.p͡fɱ̩ ʊnt ˈbluː.tn̩ ɡɛɐ̯n]
[fyːɐ̯ ˈtʁoːn ʊnt ˈʁaɪ̯ç] 𝄇

[ˈhand.lʊŋ ʊnt ˈvɪ.sn̩.ˌʃaft]
[ˈheː.bm̩ mɪt ˈmuːt ʊnt ˈkʁaft]
[iːɐ̯ ˈhaʊ̯pt ɛm.ˈpɔɐ̯]
[ˈkʁiː.gɐ ʊnt ˈhɛl.dn̩.ˌtaːt]
[ˈfɪn.də iːɐ̯ ˈloːɐ̯.beːɐ̯.ˌblat]
[tʁɔʏ̯ ˈaʊ̯f.gə.ˌhoː.bm̩ dɔɐ̯t]
[an ˈdaɪ̯.nəm tʁoːn] 𝄇

[zaɪ̯ ˈkaɪ̯.zɐ ˈvɪl.ˌhɛlm hiːɐ̯]
[laŋ ˈdaɪ̯.nəs ˈfɔl.kəs t͡siːɐ̯]
[deːɐ̯ ˈmɛnʃ.ˌhaɪ̯t ʃtɔlt͡s]
𝄆 [ˈfyːl ɪn deːs ˈtʁoː.nəs glant͡s]
[diː hoːə ˈvɔ.nə gant͡s]
[ˈliː.blɪŋ deːs ˈfɔlks t͡suː zaɪ̯n]
[haɪ̯l ˈkaɪ̯.zɐ diːɐ̯] 𝄇

Хайль дир им Зигеркранц,
Херршер дес фатерландс!
Хайль, Кайзер, дир!
𝄆 Фюль ин дес тронес гланц
Ди хоэ вонне ганц,
Либлинг дес фолькс цу зайн!
Хайль Кайзер, дир! 𝄇

Нихт рос, них райзиге
Зихерн ди штайле хё,
Во фюрстен штен:
𝄆 Либе дес фатерландс,
Либе дес фрайен маннс
Грюнден ден херршерс трон
Ви фельс им мер. 𝄇

Хайлиге фламме, глю’,
Глю’ унд эрлёше ни
Фюр’с фатерланд!
𝄆 Вир алле штен данн
Мутиг фюр айнен манн,
Кемпфен унд блутен герн
Фюр трон унд райх! 𝄇

Хандлунг унд виссеншафт
Хебе мит мут унд крафт
Ир хаупт эмпор!
𝄆 Кригер унд хельдентат
Финде ир лорберблатт
Трой ауфгехобен дорт,
Ан дайнем трон! 𝄇

Зай, Кайзер Вильхельм, хир
Ланг дайнес фолькес зир,
Дер меншхайт штольц!
𝄆 Фюль ин дес тронес гланц,
Ди хоэ вонне ганц,
Либлинг дес фолькс цу зайн!
Хайль Кайзер, дир! 𝄇

### English version

Hail thee to victor's crown,

Ruler of the Fatherland!

Hail to thee, emperor!

𝄆 Feel in the throne's splendor

The high majesty in full

To be the people's beloved!

Hail to thee, emperor! 𝄇

Neither steed nor mounted knight

Secure the towering height,

Where princes stand:

𝄆 Love of the Fatherland,

Love of the free man,

Secure the ruler's throne

Like crags at sea. 𝄇

Holy flame, glow,

Glow and expire not,

For the Fatherland!

𝄆 Then we shall all stand

Valiant for one man,

Fighting and bleeding gladly

For Empire and Throne! 𝄇

Commerce and science

Hoist with courage and strength

Their head aloft!

𝄆 Warriors' and heroes' deeds

Find their laurel leaves

Faithfully preserved

Upon thy throne! 𝄇

Be, Emperor William, here,

Long thy people's treasure,

Pride of mankind!

𝄆 Feel in the throne's splendor

The high majesty in full

To be the people's beloved!

Hail to thee, emperor! 𝄇

## References

1. ↑ Reichel, Peter. *Schwarz-Rot-Gold: Kleine Geschichte deutscher Nationalsymbole nach 1945*. C. H. Beck: Munich, 2005. p. 35.
2. ↑ Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī
3. ↑ Song No. 50 in Allgemeines Deutsches Kommersbuch, p. 47.