The Icelandic Canadian - 01.06.1984, Síða 38

36
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
SUMMER, 1984
To pursue the ever-onward
Aims that grew at Sandy Bar.
He who makes new paths, and passes,
Plants ambition with the masses,
Bringing forth, like frosted grasses,
From the soil an avatar.
Though some active urge decreases
In each living thing that freezes,
In my fancy ice encrusted
All the grass at Sandy Bar.
Plants still green with frozen fragrance
Filled the air at Sandy Bar.
Shining spectral shades, I doubt me,
Sent a stream of warmth, throughout me.
Phantom gleams on graves about me
Glittered faintly like a star.
All the brawn that blessed the sleeping
Buried now the earth is keeping,
Where it lies forever idle
In the ground at Sandy Bar.
All that death could overpower
Is interred at Sandy Bar.
As the beating rain abated,
Breezes kind, so long awaited,
Crowding on the clouds so freighted
Cleared the sky for every star.
Routed packs with fury flashing
Farther to the north were dashing,
Till a riftless reach of heaven
Rested over Sandy Bar.
Heaven, where the leaders landed,
Looked with peace on Sandy Bar.
THE ORIGIN OF ICELAND'S NATIONAL
ANTHEM
The Icelandic national anthem, O, gud
vors lands (“Our Country’s God”) is in
origin a hymn written for a particular
occasion, and it probably did not occur to
either the poet or the composer that there
might be in store for it the destiny of
becoming a national anthem, for more than
a generation elapsed before this came
about.
The year 1874 marked the millenary
anniversary of the settlement in Iceland of
the first Norseman, Ingolfur Amarson. In
the summer of that year there were cele-
brations throughout the country to com-
memorate this event, the chief ceremonies
being held at Thingvellir, the place of
assembly of the ancient Parliament of the
people (“Althingi”), and in Reykjavik. It
was for this occasion that the hymn was
written, hence the words “Iceland’s
thousand years”, which recur in all three
verses, of the title of the original edition of
the poem and the music (Reykjavik, 1874),
which was “A Hymn in Commemoration
of Iceland’s Thousand Years.”
By an order in council of the 8th of
September 1873, it was decreed that ser-
vices should be held in all Icelandic
churches to commemorate the millenary
anniversary of the first settlement in Ice-
land, and it was left to the Bishop of
Iceland to decide upon a day and the choice
of a text for the service.
In the autumn of the same year, the
Bishop, Dr. Petur Petursson, announced
that the day for the service was to be the
2nd of August and the chosen text Psalm 90
vv. 1-4 and 12-7. This decision led to the
Icelandic national anthem being composed
and its theme was suggested by the chosen
text.
About the same time as the Bishop’s
letter was sent out, the Rev. Matthias
Jochumsson (1835- 1920) set off on the
third of his eleven trips abroad. He was the
son of a poor farmer with a large family