"A Vivid Dream"
2007-06-04 15:40:59.14566+00 by
petronius
2 comments
National anthems are interesting. God Save the Queen has a stateliness that mirrors the utter confidence of the Victorians. La Marseillaise, with its rather blood-thirsty lyrics, makes you want to go bayonet a Prussian. And The Star-Spangled Banner, in its unsingability by any normal human voice, stubbornly clings to Yankee exceptionalism.
I stumbled on this video of Brazil's national anthem, which is pretty good. It has the air of a minor opera chorus, but the bombast listed in the rather badly translated lyrics is charming. I don't know of any other country that refers to itself as a 'vivid dream', do you?
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#Comment Re: made: 2007-06-04 16:01:19.618568+00 by:
Dan Lyke
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The problem with "The Star Spangled Banner" is that the tune ("To Anacreon in Heaven...") was never meant to be sung by sober people, or to sober people. Which, I suppose, makes it perfect for baseball games.
The Brazilian national anthem makes me want to forget everything I've ever learned about Brazil and move there. However, I am wondering what the actual translation of "iguality" is...
#Comment Re: made: 2007-06-04 16:39:11.793394+00 by:
petronius
Might'nt iquality refer to the very essence of a lizard? "I see many traits of iquality in you, President Nixon...."