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O Lord my God, shield the honor of Germany and Austria! Protect the emperor!" And Joseph Haydn walked through the room with the vigor and alacrity of a youth, dropped his hands on the keys of the piano, and began to play in full concords the melody of his imperial hymn, "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser!"
What his lips sang was a prayer, and, at the same time, a hymn of victory full of innocent and child-like piety: "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser, Unsern guten Kaiser Franz, Lange lebe Franz den Kaiser In des Gluckes hellem Glanz! Ihm erbluhen Lorbeerreiser, Wo er geht, zum Ehrenkranz!
Life had dedicated to him the laurel- wreath which usually only death grants to poets and artists. The Audience was still silent, when all at once a powerful voice exclaimed: "Let us sing the second verse of Haydn's favorite hymn the second verse of 'Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser!" "Yes, yes," shouted all, enthusiastically, "the second verse! the second verse!"
It was crammed with a gay throng, and the national dress of Ragusa can be very gay indeed. All were talking and laughing. Then came the solemn strains of "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser," the finest of all national anthems, and a sudden hush fell on the crowd.
He turned his face toward the imperial box; his eyes beamed with love and exultation, and he began to play his favorite hymn with impressive enthusiasm the hymn which he had composed ten years ago in the days of Austria's adversity, and which he had sung every day since then, the hymn, "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser, unsern guten Kaiser Franz!"
He had folded his hands and listened to the majestic anthem of the people, and the tears, filling his eyes, glistened like diamonds. The people continued shouting and singing, in spite of the French, the hymn of "GOTT ERHALTE FRANZ DEN KAISER, UNSERN GUTEN KAISER FRANZ!" And the victorious French marched silently through the opened ranks of the people.
The audience expressed their gratitude by an outburst of applause, and sang thereupon the second verse: "Lass von seiner Fahne Spitzen Strahlen Sieg and Furchtbarkeit Lass in seinem Rathe sitzen Weisheit, Klugheit, Redlichkeit, Und mit seiner Hoheit Blitzen Schalten our Gerechtigkeit. Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser, Unsern guten Kaiser Franz!"
And the audience rose and gazed with profound emotion upon Joseph Haydn's gleaming face, and then up to the emperor, who was standing smilingly in his box, and the empress, from whose eyes two large tears rolled down her pale cheeks; and with one accord the vast crowd commenced singing: "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser, Unsern guten Kaiser Franz!
Lange lebe Franz der Kaiser In des Glueckes hellem Kranz! Ihm erbluehen Lorbeerreiser, Wo er geht, zum Ehrenkranz. Gott erhalte " Long live Francis, brightest gem In fair Fortune's diadem O'er him see the laurel wave, Honoring the true, the brave! Haydn's hands dropped exhausted from the keys; his form rocked to and fro, and, half fainting, he sank back into the arms of Salieri and Kreutzer.
I fought with Goethe for the redemption of a soul sold to the Devil. And with Schubert and Heine I sang: Du bist wie eine Blume, So hold und schoen und rein, Betend dass Gott dich erhalte, So rein und schoen und hold. But what a cankerous end was here.
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