As a matter of fact, there are 2 versions of my country's anthem. The short version (from 1900) is sung most often (and I usually sing along) and played on the radio at Midnight. The original long version (from 1813) is seen about once in a lifetime at school. Some people don't even know it. There are some variations to the music too, but this is the traditional (short) version:
...And here is the original version. I'll see if I get the time to translate it at some point.
Oid ¡mortales! el grito sagrado:
¡Libertad, Libertad, Libertad!
Oid el ruido de rotas cadenas:
Ved en trono a la noble Igualdad.
Se levanta la faz de la tierra
Una nueva y gloriosa Nación:
Coronada su sien de laureles
Y a sus plantas rendido un León
Sean eternos los laureles
Que supimos conseguir.
Coronados de gloria vivamos
O juremos con gloria morir.
De los nuevos campeones los rostros
Marte mismo parece animar;
la grandeza se anida en sus pechos,
A su marcha todo hace temblar.
Se conmueven del Inca las tumbas
Y en sus huesos revive el ardor,
Lo que ve renovando a sus hijos
De la Patria el antiguo esplendor.
Sean eternos los laureles
Que supimos conseguir.
Coronados de gloria vivamos
O juremos con gloria morir.
Pero sierras y muros se sienten
Retumbar con horrible fragor:
Todo el País se conturba por gritos
De venganza, de guerra y furor.
En los fieros tiranos la envidia
Escupió su pestífera hiel,
Su estandarte sangriento levantan
Provocando a la lid más cruel.
Sean eternos los laureles
Que supimos conseguir.
Coronados de gloria vivamos
O juremos con gloria morir.
¡No lo véis sobre México y Quito
Arrojarse con saña tenaz,
Y cuál lloran bañados en sangre
Potosí, Cochabamba y la Paz!
¡No lo véis sobre el triste Caracas
Luto y llantos y muerte esparcir!
¡No lo véis devorando cual fieras
Todo pueblo que logran rendir!
Sean eternos los laureles
Que supimos conseguir.
Coronados de gloria vivamos
O juremos con gloria morir.
A vosotros se atreve ¡Argentinos!
El orgullo del vil invasor,
Vuestros campos ya pisa contando
Tantas glorias hollar vencedor.
Mas los bravos que unidos juraron
Su feliz libertad sostener,
A esos tigres sedientos de sangre
Fuertes pechos sabrán oponer.
Sean eternos los laureles
Que supimos conseguir.
Coronados de gloria vivamos
O juremos con gloria morir.
El valiente argentino a las armas
Corre ardiendo con brío y valor,
El clarín de la guerra cual trueno
En los campos del Sud resonó,
Buenos Aires se pone a la frente
De los pueblos de la ínclita Unión,
Y con brazos robustos desgarran
Al ibérico altivo León.
Sean eternos los laureles
Que supimos conseguir.
Coronados de gloria vivamos
O juremos con gloria morir.
San José, San Lorenzo, Suipacha,
Ambas Piedras, Salta y Tucumán,
La Colonia y las mismas murallas
Del tirano en la Banda Oriental;
Son letreros eternos que dicen:
Aquí el brazo argentino triunfó
Aquí el fiero opresor de la Patria
Su cerviz orgullosa dobló.
Sean eternos los laureles
Que supimos conseguir.
Coronados de gloria vivamos
O juremos con gloria morir.
La victoria al guerrero argentino
Con sus alas brillantes cubrió
Y azorado a su vista el tirano,
Con infamia a la fuga se dió;
Sus banderas, sus armas se rinden
Por trofeos a la Libertad,
Y sobre alas de gloria alza el pueblo
Trono digno a su gran majestad.
Sean eternos los laureles
Que supimos conseguir.
Coronados de gloria vivamos
O juremos con gloria morir.
Desde un polo hasta el otro resuena
De la fama el sonoro clarín,
Y de América el nombre enseñando,
Les repite: ¡Mortales! Oid:
¡Ya su trono dignísimo abrieron
Las provincias unidas del Sud!
Y los libres del mundo responden:
¡Al Gran Pueblo Argentino Salud!
Also, I have ancestors - 4 generations before me - from Russia, Romania and Ukraine, but I don't know their anthems. They came here in the early 20th century and I never got to meet any of them.
Edit: I will translate the shortened version, which is the one currently in use. The parts that were removed were mostly against Spain, which made sense in the 19th century but not anymore. The order of verses and phrases must be altered in some parts to make sense in English.
Hear, mortals, the sacred call: freedom, freedom, freedom!
Hear the call of broken chains,
see noble equality on the throne.
The United Provinces of the South have already opened
their most honorable throne.
And the free of the world respond: health/cheers to the great Argentinean people!
Eternal be the laurels we have managed to achieve.
Crowned with glory let us live, or let us swear to die with glory.
Last edited by Lady Vulpix; 6th July 2011 at 08:46 AM.
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Call me unpatriotic, but I don't like "The Star Spangled Banner". Or at least the fact that it's the National Anthem.
Before you yell at me, just look at the lyrics to the song.
It's a war ballad; the lyrics are all about war and battle. In this day and age, when it's painfully obvious that there is no glory in war, it's not fitting for such a song to be America's anthem.
It seems Finland has the right idea. Just looking at Mikachu's post, no mention of violence in those lyrics.
I'm not the only one who feels like this, by the way. Many people would love to change it (they've suggested "America the Beautiful" as an alternative) but most folks are too hung-up on tradition to even consider it.
Don't get me wrong. I still stand up at ball games and take off my hat whenever it's played. But I feel that someone should take a look at this song and consider what I'm saying.
Call me unpatriotic, but I don't like "The Star Spangled Banner". Or at least the fact that it's the National Anthem.
Before you yell at me, just look at the lyrics to the song.
It's a war ballad; the lyrics are all about war and battle. In this day and age, when it's painfully obvious that there is no glory in war, it's not fitting for such a song to be America's anthem.
It seems Finland has the right idea. Just looking at Mikachu's post, no mention of violence in those lyrics.
I'm not the only one who feels like this, by the way. Many people would love to change it (they've suggested "America the Beautiful" as an alternative) but most folks are too hung-up on tradition to even consider it.
Don't get me wrong. I still stand up at ball games and take off my hat whenever it's played. But I feel that someone should take a look at this song and consider what I'm saying.
A lot of Japanese actually feel like this about Kimigayo and there's very little mention about war, it's just the fact that it sounds Imperialist.