Beasts of England

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"Beasts of England" is a parody of the famous socialist anthem "The Internationale". It is sung in George Orwell's novel Animal Farm.

In the book, the pig Old Major explained his dream of an animal-controlled society three nights before his death. In this dream he recalled a tune sung to him as a piglet, entitled Beasts of England. After a few minutes of singing, the pigs memorized the song and the other animals at least picked up the tune.

The animals sung Beasts of England frequently after the revolution, especially after meetings. However, as Napoleon grew more powerful, he ordered that the singing of "Beasts of England" be outlawed, and replaced the song with an anthem praising himself. This mirrors the history of "The Internationale" in the Soviet Union: it was the country's national anthem until 1944, when Joseph Stalin replaced it with the "Hymn of the Soviet Union". However, "The Internationale" was not banned by the Soviet Union at any time, and remained as the anthem of the Communist Party.

[edit] Comparison between Beasts of England and The Internationale

Although the songs are different structurally, the content of "Beasts of England" mirrors that of "The Internationale". The first line, 'Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland', shows the international nature of 'animalism', just as "The Internationale" included the line 'unites the human race'. It speaks of a future utopia free from human control, and a time of plenty. In "The Internationale" this is only briefly mentioned ('And give to all a happier lot'). Instead, "The Internationale" is more militant. More similar is the talk of shackles and chains. Compare 'Our own right hand the chains must shiver/Chains of hatred, greed and fear' in "The Internationale" with 'Rings shall vanish from our noses/And the harness from our back/Bit and spur shall rust forever/Cruel whips no more shall crack' in "Beasts Of England". Chains in "The Internationale" are metaphorical, and those in "Beasts Of England" are real. The final similarity is between 'Tyrant Man' and 'No faith have we in prince or peer'.

Note: The quotes here are all from the English version of The Internationale.

[edit] Lyrics

The book says that the song goes to a tune 'between "Oh My Darling, Clementine" and "La Cucaracha".

'Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,

Beasts of every land and clime,

Hearken to my joyful tidings

Of the golden future time.

'Soon or late the day is coming,

Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown,

And the fruitful fields of England

Shall be trod by beasts alone.

'Rings shall vanish from our noses,

And the harness from our back,

Bit and spur shall rust forever,

Cruel whips no more shall crack.

'Riches more than mind can picture,

Wheat and barley, oats and hay,

Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels

Shall be ours upon that day.

'Bright will shine the fields of England,

Purer shall its waters be,

Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes

On the day that sets us free.

'For that day we all must labour,

Though we die before it break;

Cows and horses, geese and turkeys,

All must toil for freedom's sake.

'Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,

Beasts of every land and clime,

Hearken well and spread my tidings

Of the golden future time.'

Another version, called "Beasts of the World", was written for the film of Animal Farm, and resembles the style of "The Internationale" more closely:

'Beasts of the World we shall unite

Rise up and ready for the fight

soon or late the day will be

when man's defeated and we are free

(...)

'I smell the victory

Our limbs be tired and worn

Our dreams shall not be broken

And our hearts shall not be torn.'

(The rest of the song was never fully explained)

Animal Farm  v • d • e
By George Orwell
Main Characters	Old Major | Napoleon | Snowball | Squealer
Secondary Characters	Frederick | Pilkington | Jones | Boxer | Benjamin
Battles	The Revolution | Battle of the Cowshed | Battle of the Windmill
Songs	Beasts of England | Comrade Napoleon
Miscellaneous	Animalism | Seven Commandments