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Paul Mason's Idle Scrawl

Amanece, lo veis? in des Morgenroth's Strahl?

  • Paul Mason
  • 11 May 06, 09:23 AM

Continuing the foreign language theme on this blog, there is a a bit of a kerfuffle going on in the USA over a Spanish version of the national anthem ). It was released by campaigners for an amnesty for America's 11m illegal immigrants. The latest is that the Senate has backed a calling for it to be sung in English only at official occasions, and George W Bush has told campaigners to learn it in English. They have hit back...

...pointing out that, during the American Civil War the tens of thousands of Germans who fought on the union side (mainly mid-western refugees from the revolutions of 1848) had their own version in .

Here's the Spanish lyrics...
Amanece, lo veis?, a la luz de la aurora?
lo que tanto aclamamos la noche al caer?
sus estrellas sus franjas
flotaban ayer
en el fiero combate
en seΓ±al de victoria,
fulgor de lucha, al paso de la libertad.
Por la noche decΓ­an:
"Se va defendiendo!"
Oh decid! Despliega aΓΊn
Su hermosura estrellada
sobre tierra de libres,
la bandera sagrada?

...And here it is in German
O! sagt, kΓΆnnt ihr seh'n in des Morgenroth's Strahl,
Was so stolz wir im scheidenden Ubendroth grüßten?
Die Sterne, die Streifen, die Wehnend von Wall,
Im tâdlichen Kampf uns den Unblick verfüßten?
Hoch flattere die Fahne in herrlicher Bracht,
Beim Leuchten der Bomben durch dunkle Racht.
O! sagt, ob das Banner, mit Sternen befΓ€'t,
Ueber'm Lande der Freien und Braven noch weht?

I wonder if anybody has translated God Save the Queen into any of the languages spoken by migrant communities here - or abroad during the British Empire. Or, for that matter, Jerusalem, Flower of Scotland, The Self Preservation Society etc etc (ie all the unofficial national anthems we've adopted for sports occasions). If you know any examples, send em to me on paul.mason.01@bbc.co.uk. Don't try to post foreign language stuff in the comment box because it will overwhelm the moderators...

Comments  Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 11:55 PM on 11 May 2006,
  • anthony fletcher wrote:

Entertaining etc, but I have an (economically) orientated question: In the light of Tim Whewell's report on Chad's oil revenues this evening (and the implication of the discovery of oil being seen to be of potentially negative value to various African states) - would that suggest that the attitudes of Chavez y Morales in regards to the redistribution of natural resource revenue within their countries would be liable to meet with the approval of the World Bank? Who's behind the World Bank's agenda on Chad, and how is that mapped onto other 'underdeveloped' countries? etc etc etc...

I have heard the Spanish Language Version of the US National Anthem. As a US Latin [born in Ohio] I consider the protests against the Spanish National Anthem a symbol of an inferiority complex that affects America.

For those who want one America, my suggestion would be to practice E Pluribus Unum [out of many one].

I challenge the US People to encourage marriage between US Citizens regardless of race, creed, and color. I encourage the US to embrace diversity instead of the Cold War Mentality of the Republicans and Democrats. I also challenge the US Population to vote Libertarian and Green at every opportunity.

Charley horse

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