The ''Beresinalied'', originally known as ''Unser Leben gleicht der Reise'' (the incipit) is a ''
Lied'' composed by
Friedrich Wilke after the 1792 poem "Die Nachtreise" by
Karl Ludwig Giesecke.
It became a symbol of the sacrifices of
Swiss mercenaries
The Swiss mercenaries (german: Reisläufer) were a powerful infantry force constituted by professional soldiers originating from the cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy. They were notable for their service in foreign armies, especially among t ...
in foreign service following popularization as ''Beresinalied'' by
Otto von Greyerz and
Gonzague de Reynold
Gonzague de Reynold (15 June 1880 – 9 April 1970) was a Swiss writer, historian, and right-wing political activist.
Over the course of his six-decade career, he wrote more than thirty books outlining his traditionalist Catholic and Swiss natio ...
, tying it to the
Battle of Berezina
The Battle of (the) Berezina (or Beresina) took place from 26 to 29 November 1812, between Napoleon's Grande Armée and the Imperial Russian Army under Field Marshal Wittgenstein and Admiral Chichagov. Napoleon was retreating back toward Pola ...
. The context is that
Oberleutnant Thomas Legler, (1782–1835, born in
Glarus
, neighboring_municipalities= Glarus Nord, Glarus Süd, Muotathal (SZ), Innerthal (SZ)
, twintowns= Wiesbaden-Biebrich (Germany)
}
Glarus (; gsw, Glaris; french: Glaris; it, Glarona; rm, Glaruna) is the capital of the canton of Glarus ...
) who served in the II corps of Marshal
Nicolas Oudinot in
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
's invasion army in Russia in his memoirs ''Denkwürdigkeiten aus dem russischen Feldzug'' tells how his commander during the Battle on 28 November 1812 reminded him of the song and asked him to sing it.
Of the originally 8,000 men of the four
Swiss regiments (division Merle), about 1,300 were left by the time the retreating army reached the
Berezina River. Under General
Jean Baptiste Eblé
Jean Baptiste Eblé (21 December 1758 – 31 December 1812) was a French General, Engineer and Artilleryman during the Napoleonic Wars. He is credited with saving Napoleon's Grand Army from complete destruction in 1812.
Biography
Eblé was born ...
two bridges were built across the Berezina, and the second corps crossed to the western bank to beat back the Russian troops hindering the crossing. The Swiss engaged the Russian troops on 28 November 1812 on the road to
Barysaŭ
Barysaw ( be, Барысаў, ) or Borisov (russian: Борисов, ) is a city in Belarus near the Berezina River in the Minsk Region 74 km north-east from Minsk. Its population is around 145,000.
History
Barysaw is first mentioned in th ...
. The Russians pressed back the Swiss vanguard, trying to force them back into the river. Only 300 Swiss survived the day.
The French translation of the first stanza is put as epigraph of
Journey to the End of the Night
''Journey to the End of the Night'' (french: Voyage au bout de la nuit, 1932) is the first novel by Louis-Ferdinand Céline. This semi-autobiographical work follows the adventures of Ferdinand Bardamu in the World War I, colonial Africa, the Un ...
by
Louis-Ferdinand Céline
Louis Ferdinand Auguste Destouches (27 May 1894 – 1 July 1961), better known by the pen name Louis-Ferdinand Céline ( , ) was a French novelist, polemicist and physician. His first novel ''Journey to the End of the Night'' (1932) won the '' Pr ...
, erroneously attributed to the "Swiss Guards, 1793": «''Notre vie est un voyage / Dans l'Hiver et dans la Nuit / Nous cherchons notre passage / Dans le Ciel où rien ne luit''» (Our life is like a journey / Through the Winter and the Night; / We are looking for our way out / In a sky where everything is lightless).
{, class="wikitable"
, -
!
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
text by Ludwig Giseke
! Translation
, -
,
Unser Leben gleicht der Reise
Eines Wandrers in der Nacht;
Jeder hat in seinem Gleise
Etwas, das ihm Kummer macht.
Aber unerwartet schwindet
Vor uns Nacht und Dunkelheit,
Und der Schwergedrückte findet
Linderung in seinem Leid.
Mutig, mutig, liebe Brüder,
Gebt das bange Sorgen auf;
Morgen steigt die Sonne wieder
Freundlich an dem Himmel auf.
Darum lasst uns weitergehen;
Weichet nicht verzagt zurück!
Hinter jenen fernen Höhen
Wartet unser noch ein Glück.
,
Our life is like a journey
Of a wanderer through the night;
Everybody carries something on his way
That causes him to grieve.
But then unexpectedly do fade
Night and darkness before us,
And the sorely troubled find
Solace in their sorrow.
Fearless, fearless, dear brothers,
Abandon the anxious worries;
Tomorrow the sun will rise again
Friendly in the sky.
Therefore let us move on;
Do not retreat disheartenedly!
Beyond those far heights
A new happiness awaits us.
Lieder
Swiss patriotic songs
German poems
Military history of Switzerland