Nuestro Himno y Mi Amigo

Tuesday, May. 02, 2006 - 1:03 a.m.

First, Old Buddy Dave has taken the plunge and joined the ranks of Diaryland.

Welcome to Diaryland, my friend.

Blog along with me to the next bend. :-)

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Here is how yesterday's demonstration looked from John's office window:

How ironic that the people who want the Spanish version of the national anthem suppressed are dishonoring this country's ideals by wanting to restrict freedom of expression."Don't wanna hear our National Anthem in anything other than English, dammit, and if them dadgum wetbacks tries that stuff in front of me, I tell you whut..." et cetera ad nauseum

If you are somebody who is working here, and contributing to the economy, and doing your best to adhere to this country's ideals, then you have the right to sing our National Anthem in any language you feel like singing it in.

Anybody who lives in this country and wants to take away the right of freedom of expression from anybody else who lives in this country is a hypocrite.

Here are several translations I found over in Wikipedia:

In Spanish:

Amanece - �lo v�is 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 se�al de victoria.
Fulgor de lucha, al paso de la libertad,
por la noche dec�an: ��Se va defendiendo!�
�Oh, decid! �Despliega a�n su hermosura estrellada,
sobre tierra de libres, la bandera sagrada?

Sus estrellas, sus franjas, la libertad, somos iguales.
Somos hermanos, es nuestro himno.
En el fiero combate, en se�al de victoria,
fulgor de lucha... (Mi gente, �sigue luchando!)
...al paso de la libertad (�Ya es tiempo de romper las cadenas!)
Por la noche dec�an: ��Se va defendiendo!�
�Oh, decid! �Despliega a�n su hermosura estrellada,
sobre tierra de libres, la bandera sagrada?

English translation

Do you see it arising, by the light of the dawn,
That which we hailed so much when the night fell?
Its stars, its stripes were streaming yesterday
In the fierce combat, as a sign of victory,
The brilliance of battle, in step with freedom,
Throughout the night they said: "It will be defended!"
Oh say you! Does it still wave, its starred beauty,
Over the land of the free, the sacred flag?

Its stars, its stripes, liberty, we are equal.
We are brothers, it is our anthem.
In the fierce combat, as a sign of victory,
The brilliance of battle... (My people, keep fighting!)
...in step with freedom, (Now is the time to break the chains!)
Throughout the night they said: "It will be defended!"
Oh say you! Does it still wave, its starred beauty,
Over the land of the free, the sacred flag?

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Here are some more interpretations of The Star Spangled Banner.

For Uncle Sam's sake -- ENJOY!

Yiddish:

Star Spengld Bener
fun Frensis Skat Ki

O zog! konstu zen in likht fun sof nakht,
Vos mir hobn bagrist in demer-shayn mit freyd?
Di shtrayfn, di shtern -- in flaker fun shlakht
Fun di shuts-vent mir hobn mit bang in blik bagleyt.

Un der blits fun raket, un der knal fun kanon
Durkh der nakht gerufn hobn zey: es lebt di fon.
O zog! di fon mit di shtern iz zi nokh tsehelt
Iber land fun fraye un iber heym fun held?

Afn breg, durkh neplen fun yam fartunklt,
Vu dem soynes makhne iz fartayet in shrek,
Vos iz es, in bloz fun laykhtn vintl fartunken,
Ot halb-farborgn, ot af a helft antplekt?
Es iz di fon mit di shtern, o, af lang zey tsehelt
Iber land fun fraye un der heym fun held.

O, azoy vet es tomed zayn, ven frayer mentsh mit gever in hant
Bashitsn vet zayn libe heym kegn farlend fun krig un zayn shnit!
Gebentsht mit zig un frid, zol dos land
Loybn di kraft, vos hot undz als folk farhit!

Undzer kamf iz a gerekhter -- undzer iz der nitsokhn,
Zol zayn undzer gebot: "In got iz undzer bitokhn!"
Un di fon mit di shtern, in zig vet zi zayn tsehelt
Iber land fun fraye un der heym fun held!

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French (this is the version sung here by Cajuns):

La Banni�re �toil�e,

L'hymne National Am�ricain
(The Star Spangled Banner)
(Trad., P.D., French words David �mile Marcantel
Vocal arrangement Jeanette Aguillard)

O dites, voyez-vous
Dans la lumi�re du jour
Le drapeau qu'on saluait
� la tomb�e de la nuit ?
Dont les trois couleurs vives
Pendant la dure bataille
Au-dessus des remparts
Inspiraient notre pays.
Et l'�clair des fus�es,
Des bombes qui explosaient,
D�montraient toute la nuit
Que le drapeau demeurait.
Est-ce que la banni�re �toil�e
Continue toujours � flotter
Au-dessus d'une nation brave,
Terre de la libert� ?

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German:

O! sagt, k�nnt ihr seh'n
In des Morgenroths Strahl,
Was so stolz wir im schei-
denden Abendroth gr��ten?
Die Sterne, die Streifen,
Die wehend vom Wall,
Im t�dlichen Kampf
Uns den Anblick vers��ten?
Hoch flattere die Fahne
In herrlicher Pracht,
Beim Leuchten der Bomben
Durch dunkle Nacht.
O! sagt, ob das Banner,
Mit Sternen bes�'t,
�ber'm Lande der Freien
Und Braven noch weht?

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In their own way, they are all patriotic and all beautiful. If the National Anthem needs to be translated into additional languages so that more people can sing it, I don't have a problem with that at all. And I can't figure out why people are upset about this.

And before you start along the lines of 'If we went to such and such a country and sang THEIR song in English, they'd blahdy blah blah' well, zip it right now, please, because we're NOT in their country and we're NOT translating their anthems into English. This post is about what happens here in the USA.

And it's also just the opinion of only one woman. So stay calm. It's just a bunch of ones and zeros.

Life at the end of your arms. That's all. :-)

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All right, that's it. Have a Tuesday!

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