Something for Max and CapK...a site I stumbled across while googling for an O'Neill quote on irony (no, don't ask how this connected, I dunno). I put it here instead of I & A "in case" a discussion erupts. Enjoy!
The site is titled "Would You Like to be Maori? (Literary Constructions of Oral Culture)"
http://www.arts.uwo.ca/~andrewf/anzsc/anzsc4/williams4.htm
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Her name was Maori, Maori,
Plain as any name can be,
But in Society, propriety,
they say Marie.
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Antime, Max!
And, yeah, the site is much more extensive than the one article page I posted.
And, I was also wondering, Bean...when did the Canadians become so enamored of, and deem themselves of having superior insight to, Kiwi culture?
when did the Canadians become so enamored of, and deem themselves of having superior insight to, Kiwi culture?
I really don't know. That is VERY WEIRD.
Then again, my university has a pretty active Russian and German department. Russian? In Newfoundland? The place where 97% of people identify themselves as originating from the British Isles (I got that from a StatsCan document, BTW). I guess you never can guess what will interest people!
re:when did the Canadians become so enamored of, and deem themselves of having superior insight to, Kiwi culture?
a few years ago, there was a TV show, (US)Early Edition-- about someone who had insight to future events.. the whole show was a take off of a Canadian show, (who's name i forget) with basicly the same premise.. the canadian show was mid '80's or so..
what was curious, was the producer was a guy from NJ--West NY, NJ as i recall. in an interview, when asked about living and working in Canada, and the difficulties of finding a "true canadian voice" --he replied it was easy. he said growing up in the shadow of NYC-- Living in a town called NY and all the while actually living in NJ-- gave him a total insight it to life as a canadian.. being canadian, was just like being from Jersey--writ large..
maybe canadian can see the Anzac point of view, because they have a similar relationship with england.. and are just at a latter stage..
Well, I was very interested to see what was completely unfamiliar to me being given as the New Zealand nat'l anthem. I have had that on my list of favorites for some time now, and that verse is not included. Here's what I have, by Thomas Bracken. I can't even make the words on WO'N's site fit the melody.
God of nations! at Thy feet
In the bonds of love we meet,
Hear our voices, we entreat,
God defend our Free Land.
Guard Pacific's triple star,
From the shafts of strife and war,
Make her praises heard afar,
God defend New Zealand
Men of ev'ry creed and race
Gather here before Thy face,
Asking Thee to bless this place,
God defend our Free Land.
From dissension, envy, hate,
And corruption guard our State,
Make our country good and great,
God defend New Zealand.
Peace, not war, shall be our boast,
But, should foes assail our coast,
Make us then a mighty host,
God defend our Free Land.
Lord of battles in thy might,
Put our enemies to flight,
Let our cause be just and right,
God defend New Zealand.
Let our love for Thee increase,
May Thy blessings never cease,
Give us plenty, give us peace,
God defend our Free Land.
From dishonour and from shame
Guard our country's spotless name
Crown her with immortal fame,
God defend New Zealand.
May our mountains ever be
Freedom's ramparts on the sea,
Make us faithful unto Thee,
God defend our Free Land.
Guide her in the nations' van,
Preaching love and truth to man,
Working out Thy Glorious plan,
God defend New Zealand.
This isn't, perhaps, the best poetry ever written, but I wouldn't call it trash. It sounds very old-timey and full of fervor, and what anyone is fervent about, I will not belittle or disparage. I rather like it. I admire people who are not afraid to get right up and state their position, probably because I've had so much trouble overcoming my fear of doing just that.
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Hmm--having just re-read the portion of the site in question, I see that it doesn't--quite--say that Moan the Waves IS the nat'l. anthem, but the implication is sure there.
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"When the sun hits the sky
Like a big pizza pie
That's aMaori!"
>...but still isn't a patch on the (IMO) greatest national anthem of them all, La Marseillaise
I have no idea what the words are (in Italian or English), but I find the Italian national anthem very hard to beat. It's an uptempo march tune which, when you hear it, is hard to refrain from grinning like a split watermelon. It also seems to have this effect on the people proudly singing along. The music alone for me embodies the emotiveness of the Italian people.
stales
the Italian national anthem very hard to beat. ..The music alone for me embodies the emotiveness of the Italian people.In the same vein, the Israeli anthem,
Hatikva, is principally in a minor key -- which is, I believe, unique among national anthems.
http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/History/hatikva.html (with music)
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"Even tho' you're far away,
I still love you Maori ch'day"
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We're going to the chapel and we're
gonna get Maoried.
Here's the music:
http://www.italcultny.org/audio/audio1.htmand here's the words:
"Italian brothers,
Italy has arisen,
With Scipio's helmet
binding her head.
Where is Victory?
Let her bow down,
For God has made her
The slave of Rome.
Let us gather in legions,
Ready to die!
Italy has called!
We for centuries
Have been downtrodden and derided,
Because we are not a people,
Because we are divided.
Let one flag, one hope
Bring us together;
The hour has struck
For us to join forces.
Let us gather in legions,
Ready to die!
Italy has called!
Let us unite and love one another;
For union and love
Reveal to peoples
The way of the Lord
Let us swear to free
Our native soil;
If we are united under God,
Who can conquer us?
Let us gather in legions,
Ready to die!
Italy has called!
From the Alps to Sicily,
Everywhere it is Legnano;
Every man has the heart
and hand of Ferruccio.
The children of Italy
Are all called Balilla;
Every trumpet blast
Sounds the (Sicilian) Vespers.
Let us gather in legions,
Ready to die!
Italy has called!
Mercenary swords
Are feeble reeds,
And the Austrian eagle
Has lost his plumes.
This eagle that drunk the blood
of Italy and Poland,
together with the Cossack,
But this has burned his gut.
Let us gather in legions,
Ready to die!
Italy has called!"stales
BTW - when I say you can't beat it, I don't mean you can't beat it!! I mean it's good!!
I can think of at least one other Commonwealth country whose anthem seems to an outsider to be rather tepid, but I won't name names, eh?
My mother is not exactly enthralled with O Canada, as far as I recall, but I've never polled my friends to see what their feelings are. Bel, Rouspeteur, any thoughts?
One amusing thing is that at official ceremonies they tend have a childrens' choir singing it, half in English, half in French. (Most recently this was at the Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 11.) But the kids are always anglos with terrible French accents - not that I could do a lot better - but I'm smarter than to try in public! Someday I'd like to hear it with French kids singing it, doing the English lines with French accents. It would be much cuter.
At
http://www.thenationalanthems.com you can find the music and lyrics to most, if not all, world countries. They're only midi files, so the quality isn't that great, but they have a link to download mp3s of the anthems.
An excerpt:
Become hot, become more hot,
You, the holy sun.
O sun of freedom,
O sun of good fortune.
We through the storm
Have come to the end of the road.
We have also traversed the paths of darkness,
Also the way of light.
The red road of victory,
The pure path of brotherhood.
Our revolutionary homeland
Is now in the hands of the workers.
The inheritance of lions
Now belongs to the peasants.
The age of tyranny has passed,
The turn of the labourers has come.
We want peace and brotherhood
Between the peoples of the world.
We demand more freedom
For all who toil.
We want bread for them,
We want houses and clothes.
Guess whose that is.
My guess (easier than round 20 of HOGWASH!)
Afghanistanunder the Taliban
Thanks for the link, stales. That is a nice, rousing tune.
or should it be ®WashAnthem? ®HogAnthem?
I'll take
Cuba. Just to show my true
fidelity!
Gee, Bean, everybody with whom I've ever had occasion to discuss this has thought that O Canada is a way cool anthem. I'm surprised that your mom doesn't like it that much.