The Fire Chariot - Michel Lentz

The fire chariot, it's all set,
It whistles and off we go,
Rushing over the road of iron
And it will proudly show to our neighbours
That now, we have also found our way
To the great league of nations.

 
Come over from France, Belgium, Prussia,
We want to show you our homeland,
Ask whomever you may in this land,
We want to remain what we are.
Ask whomever you may in this land
About how satisfied we are here.
 
We adhere to our school,
Full of love for our country are our hearts;
Even though we do not count millions,
If you were to let us choose anywhere in the world;
You'll find each one us exclaiming like out of a single mouth:
"No country better than this one is shone upon by the Sun."

And the people in my homeland
Are warmhearted to all people8;
Its freedom twinkles in its eyes,
And its loyalty you can hear in each word it utters;
Its language, with its strange ring to it,
Its cosiness is it that makes  it pleasant to listen to.

We have no heavy burden to carry
To get the chariot of our state to move9;
No taxes will come to oppress us;
No duress to suffocate the free spirit;
With prudence we manage our financial affairs,
No citizen, no peasant, finds himself having to steal.

 And if, at last, you have recognised the value
Of little Luxembourg,
And you have to leave at last
Then you can make it known in your homeland:
It's not exactly the size of their country that translates into happiness
For in this land live merry people!

Come over from France, Belgium, Prussia,
We want to show you our homeland,
Ask whomever you may in this land,
We want to remain what we are.
Ask whomever you may in this land
About how satisfied we are here.

---

Michel Lentz (1820 - 1893) Luxembourg

Translated by Atid (Thiwakorn)

Source: LyrikLine