The "Beresinalied" () is a popular Swiss folk song. Also known by its opening line, "Unser Leben gleicht der Reise", the German lyrics are based on the last four stanzas of a poem by Ludwig Giesecke, called "Die Nachtreise" (), published in 1792. The melody was composed by Johann Immanuel Müller in 1832. It became a symbol of the sacrifices of

Swiss mercenaries The Swiss mercenaries were a powerful infantry force constituting professional soldiers originating from the cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy. They were notable for their service in foreign armies, especially among the military forces of th ...

in foreign service following popularization as ''Beresinalied'' by Otto von Greyerz and Gonzague de Reynold, 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 and the Imperial Russian Army under Field Marshal Peter Wittgenstein, Wittgenstein and Admiral Pavel Chichagov, Chichagov. Napoleon was retre ...

. The context is that

Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...

Thomas Legler, (1782–1835, born in

Glarus Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern.Nicolas Oudinot Nicolas Charles Oudinot, duc de Reggio (; 25 April 1767 – 13 September 1847), was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He is known to have been wounded 34 times in battle, being hit by artillery shells, sa ...

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

'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 Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

regiments (division Merle), about 1,300 were left by the time the retreating army reached the

Berezina River The Berezina or Byarezina (, ; ) is a river in Belarus and a right tributary of the Dnieper. The river starts in the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. The length of the Berezina is . The width of the river is 15–20 m, the maximum is 60 m. The ba ...

. 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 bor ...

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. 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'' (, 1932) is the first novel by Louis-Ferdinand Céline. This semi-autobiographical work follows the adventures of Ferdinand Bardamu in World War I, colonial Africa, the United States and the poor suburbs of ...

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 ' ...

, 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).

References

{{reflist Lieder Swiss patriotic songs German poems Military history of Switzerland Songs about Switzerland Songs about Russia Songs about soldiers