De Levendes Land

De Levendes Land ("Land of the Living") is a hymn written in 1824 by the Danish theologian and priest, N. F. S. Grundtvig. It is composed in a metre similar to a famous hymn, Far Verden, far vel ("Farewell, world, farewell") by Thomas Kingo but unlike its baroque model, Grundtvig's work carries a more optimistic message,{{cite web|url=http://www.grundtvig.dk/files/manager/pdf/20090917-de-levendes-landpd.pdf|title=De levendes land|publisher=gruntvig.dk (Grundtvigsk Forum)|year=2000|access-date=29 January 2013}} expressing faith in the love and grace of God. The poem was written at a critical time in Grundtvig's life but lends voice to his belief that with God's love one can find happiness in life.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EzUXE3FNPZQC&q=grundtvig+hymn+land+of+the+living&pg=PA197|title=A History of Danish Literature|author=Sven Hakon Rossel|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|date=1992|isbn=9780803238862|access-date=30 January 2013}}

In 2006 it was named as part of the Danish Culture Canon, being one of the 24 items in the Lyrikantologi which was selected as one of the 12 works in the Literature section of the canon.{{cite web|url=http://kum.dk/Documents/Publikationer/2006/Kulturkontakten%202006/kulturkontakten_kulturkanon_2006.pdf |title=Litteratur: Lyrikantologi |year=2006 |work=Kulturkanon |publisher=Danish Ministry of Culture |page=47 |access-date=30 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029183615/http://kum.dk/Documents/Publikationer/2006/Kulturkontakten%202006/kulturkontakten_kulturkanon_2006.pdf |archive-date=29 October 2013 }} The text has been translated into English by S. A. J. Bradley.{{cite web|url=http://grundtvigcenteret.au.dk/fileadmin/www.grundtvigcenteret.au.dk/forskning/forskningspublikationer/arkiv/gr-st2002.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304121100/http://grundtvigcenteret.au.dk/fileadmin/www.grundtvigcenteret.au.dk/forskning/forskningspublikationer/arkiv/gr-st2002.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2016|title=Grundtvig-Studier 2002, pp. 153-156|access-date=30 January 2013}}