But before we get to the Mother-Of-All-Anthems (“God Save The”…um…whatever), a word about another of my favorite anthems.
I heard this anthem almost as early as I heard “The
Star-Spangled Banner.” When I was twelve,
my mother and I traveled to a U.S. airbase in Japan to spend three years with
my father, who worked for the American Red Cross serving the U.S.
military. Soon I was watching sumo wrestling
festivals when I got home from school in the afternoons. And I was won over to this anthem which is
somber, solemn, gripping, imposing…unforgettable.
It’s short, and its words are simple; yet it’s
controversial because of its association with the Imperial throne and the
Emperor. But it’s a beautiful anthem,
and I love it. It always calms and
centers and grounds me, and makes me focus and reflect, even though I understand
nothing of the words. What Japanese I know
provides no help at understanding.
“May your reign continue for a thousand, eight
thousand generations; until the pebbles grow into boulders lush with moss.”
A miracle of brevity—straight to the point. This says it all; and directly from Nature.
If I had written it, I might have only changed one
thing: “Your reign” into something more
generic: “This land.” “This kingdom.” “This tribe.”
“This realm.”
No—I take that back.
My ideal anthem would say something like: “May this land promote justice and peace
among peoples, and last a thousand years.”
Simply lasting a long time
doesn’t make you admirable; you have to offer something worthy to humanity;
although, really: To endure a thousand
years as a culture, it seems you must have had something worthy to begin with.
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