anthems
I've been in this country for awhile, and it occurred to me that I still don't have the lyrics for the national anthem ("Kimigayo") down. I mean, I hear it all the time at school ceremonies while staring at the Hinomaru. I gotta say, it's an anthem with gravitas-- and sounds pretty heart-swelling with some 1,000 odd kids singing it. Luckily, Japan's got one of the shortest anthems I've ever heard = easy to remember. The lines are from a Heian-era tanka, and are quite beautiful.
君が代は
千代に
八千代に
細石の
巌となりて
苔の生すまで
May your reign
Continue for a thousand,
eight thousand years,
Until the pebbles
Grow into boulders
Lush with moss.
So, that led me to youtube-hop for other countries' anthems. It's kind of disgusting reading the comments people leave, though. In retrospect, I should've guessed that anthem videos would be hotbeds of racism. I was shocked to see so many vitriolic Canada-hate comments on the Canadian anthem video (most of them from Americans). What've we ever done to them? Even the Chinese comments on the Japanese anthem were more diplomatic! I didn't even know they hated us!
Found a version of the Swedish anthem played by Yngwie Malmsteen, too. LOL, is anything more Swedish than that?
P.S. clicking on the Chinese anthem comments was a mistake. D:
君が代は
千代に
八千代に
細石の
巌となりて
苔の生すまで
May your reign
Continue for a thousand,
eight thousand years,
Until the pebbles
Grow into boulders
Lush with moss.
So, that led me to youtube-hop for other countries' anthems. It's kind of disgusting reading the comments people leave, though. In retrospect, I should've guessed that anthem videos would be hotbeds of racism. I was shocked to see so many vitriolic Canada-hate comments on the Canadian anthem video (most of them from Americans). What've we ever done to them? Even the Chinese comments on the Japanese anthem were more diplomatic! I didn't even know they hated us!
Found a version of the Swedish anthem played by Yngwie Malmsteen, too. LOL, is anything more Swedish than that?
P.S. clicking on the Chinese anthem comments was a mistake. D: