Die Stem van Suid-Afrika
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Die Stem van Suid-Afrika (English: The Call of South Africa) was the national anthem of South Africa from 1957 to 1994, and shared national anthem status with Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika between 1994 and 1997.
In May 1918, C.J. Langenhoven wrote an Afrikaans poem called Die Stem, for which music was composed by the Reverend M.L. de Villiers in 1921. It was widely used by the South African Broadcasting Corporation in the 1920s, which played it at the close of daily broadcasts, along with God Save the King. It was sung publicly for the first time on 31 May 1928.
It was not translated into English until 1952, while God Save the Queen did not cease to have official status until 1957.
The anthem speaks throughout of commitment to the Vaderland (father land) and to God. However, the anthem was universally disliked by black South Africans, who saw it as triumphalist and associated it with the apartheid regime where one verse shows dedication to Afrikaners. As the dismantling of apartheid began in the early 1990s, South African teams were readmitted to international sporting events, which presented a problem as to the choice of national identity South Africa had to present. Die Stem was sung at a rugby test match against New Zealand in 1992, which angered the African National Congress, since they had not been consulted on the choice of anthem. The ANC afterwards insisted that Die Stem should not be used as anthem, and at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona that year, Beethoven's Ode to Joy was used instead, along with a neutral Olympic flag.
In spite of this, Die Stem retained official status after the advent of black majority rule which followed the 1994 general election. The anthem shared equal status with Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, which had long been a traditional hymn used by the ANC. In a remarkable gesture of reconciliation in 1995, Die Stem was sung by a black choir at the Rugby World Cup final match, and Nelson Mandela, the President of South Africa at the time, donned a replica rugby jersey with the captain's number on the back.
The practice of singing two different anthems had been a cumbersome arrangement during the transitional phase of the new South African era. In 1997, following the adoption of a new constitution, a new hybrid anthem was introduced, which combined Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika and Die Stem.
[edit] Lyrics
| Die Stem van Suid-Afrika | The Call of South Africa | Literal translation from Afrikaans |
| First verse | ||
|---|---|---|
| Uit die blou van onse hemel, | Ringing out from our blue heavens, | From the blue of our heaven |
| Uit die diepte van ons see, | From our deep seas breaking round, | From the depths of our sea, |
| Oor ons ewige gebergtes | Over everlasting mountains, | Over our eternal mountain ranges |
| Waar die kranse antwoord gee. | Where the echoing crags resound, | Where the cliffs give answer |
| Deur ons vêr verlate vlaktes | From our plains where creaking wagons, | Through our far-deserted valleys |
| Met die kreun van ossewa. | Cut their trails into the earth, | With the groan of ox-wagon |
| Ruis die stem van ons geliefde, | Calls the spirit of our country, | Rises the voice of our beloved, |
| Van ons land Suid-Afrika. | Of the land that gave us birth. | Of our country South Africa |
| Ons sal antwoord op jou roepstem, | At thy call we shall not falter, | We will answer to your calling, |
| Ons sal offer wat jy vra: | Firm and steadfast we shall stand, | We will offer what you ask |
| Ons sal lewe, ons sal sterwe, | At thy will to live or perish, | We will live, we will die |
| Ons vir jou, Suid-Afrika. | O South Africa, dear land. | We for Thee, South Africa |
| Second verse | ||
| In die merg van ons gebeente, | In our body and our spirit, | In the marrow of our bones |
| in ons hart en siel en gees, | In our inmost heart held fast; | In our heart and soul and spirit |
| In ons roem op ons verlede, | In the promise of our future, | In the glory of our past |
| In ons hoop op wat sal wees. | And the glory of our past; | In our hope of what will be |
| In ons wil en werk en wandel, | In our will, our work, our striving, | In our will and work and wander, |
| Van ons wieg tot aan ons graf. | From the cradle to the grave- | From our crib to our grave |
| Deel geen ander land ons liefde, | There's no land that shares our loving, | Share no other land our love, |
| Trek geen ander trou ons af. | And no bond that can enslave. | Will no other win our trist. |
| Vaderland, ons sal die adel, | Thou hast borne us and we know thee, | Fatherland! We will bear |
| Van jou naam met ere dra: | May our deeds to all proclaim | Your name with honour: |
| Waar en trou as Afrikaners, | Our enduring love and service | Dedicated and true as Afrikaners, |
| Kinders van Suid-Afrika. | To thy honour and thy name. | Children of South Africa |
| Third verse | ||
| In die songloed van ons somer, | In the golden warmth of summer, | In the sunglow of our summer, |
| in ons winternag se kou, | In the chill of winter's air, | In the winternights so cold |
| In die lente van ons liefde, | In the surging life of springtime, | In the spring of our love, |
| in die lanfer van ons rou. | In the autumn of despair; | In the mourning of our loss |
| By die klink van huw'liksklokkies, | When the wedding bells are chiming, | At the sound of wedding bells, |
| by die kluit-klap op die kis. | Or when those we love do depart, | At the stonefall on the coffin. |
| Streel jou stem ons nooit verniet nie, | Thou dost know us for thy children | Soothes your voice us never in vain, |
| Weet jy waar jou kinders is. | And dost take us to thy heart | You know where your children are. |
| Op jou roepstem sê ons nooit nee nie, | Loudly peals the answering chorus; | At your call say us never no, |
| Sê ons altyd, altyd ja: | We are thine, and we shall stand, | Say us always, always yes: |
| Om te lewe, om te sterwe - | Be it life or death, to answer | To live, to die - |
| Ja, ons kom, Suid-Afrika. | To thy call, beloved land. | Yes, we come South Africa |
| Fourth verse | ||
| Op U Almag vas vertrouend | In thy power, Almighty, trusting, | On your almight steadfast entrusted |
| het ons vadere gebou: | Did our fathers build of old; | Had our fathers built: |
| Skenk ook ons die krag, o Here! | Strengthen then, O Lord, their children | Give to us also the strength, o Lord! |
| Om te handhaaf en te hou. | To defend, to love, to hold- | To sustain and to preserve. |
| Dat die erwe van ons vadere | That the heritage they gave us | The the land of our fathers |
| Vir ons kinders erwe bly: | For our children yet may be; | For our children land remain |
| Knegte van die Allerhoogste, | Bondsmen only to the Highest | Servants of the almighty, |
| Teen die hele wêreld vry. | And before the whole world free. | Against the whole world free. |
| Soos ons vadere vertrou het, | As our fathers trusted humbly, | As our fathers had faith, |
| Leer ook ons vertrou, o Heer: | Teach us, Lord to trust Thee still; | Teach us as well to believe, o Lord: |
| Met ons land en met ons nasie | Guard our land and guide our people | With our land and with our nation |
| Sal dit wel wees, God regeer. | In Thy way to do Thy will. | Will it be well, God reigns. |
