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I have always loved the Italian National Anthem. I love the way that it's made up of 3 different tunes.
Well, that's certainly long-winded. Nothing about lying around and having your belly tickled by Germans though?Well I know that the French language can be verbose - but I didn't realise they pack all of this into a single anthem!!!
Arise children of the fatherland
The day of glory has arrived
Against us tyranny's
Bloody standard is raised
Listen to the sound in the fields
The howling of these fearsome soldiers
They are coming into our midst
To cut the throats of your sons and consorts
To arms citizens Form your battalions
March, march
Let impure blood
Water our furrows
What do they want this horde of slaves
Of traitors and conspiratorial kings?
For whom these vile chains
These long-prepared irons?
Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage
What methods must be taken?
It is us they dare plan
To return to the old slavery!
What! These foreign cohorts!
They would make laws in our courts!
What! These mercenary phalanxes
Would cut down our warrior sons
Good Lord! By chained hands
Our brow would yield under the yoke
The vile despots would have themselves be
The masters of destiny
Tremble, tyrants and traitors
The shame of all good men
Tremble! Your parricidal schemes
Will receive their just reward
Against you we are all soldiers
If they fall, our young heros
France will bear new ones
Ready to join the fight against you
Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors
Bear or hold back your blows
Spare these sad victims
That they regret taking up arms against us
But not these bloody despots
These accomplices of Bouillé
All these tigers who pitilessly
Ripped out their mothers' wombs
We too shall enlist
When our elders' time has come
To add to the list of deeds
Inscribed upon their tombs
We are much less jealous of surviving them
Than of sharing their coffins
We shall have the sublime pride
Of avenging or joining them
Drive on sacred patriotism
Support our avenging arms
Liberty, cherished liberty
Join the struggle with your defenders
Under our flags, let victory
Hurry to your manly tone
So that in death your enemies
See your triumph and our glory!
I think that's why the tune changes at least once.@UKRob - we'll have no more talk using the 'R' word, thank you very much. Very naughty and you a Tory....?
@moodymick I wonder if there is anything about changing sides at half-time in the Italian anthem?
That's my thinking too. Although the Springboks are my sentimental favourite (the old country and all that) I can't see them beating the All Blacks. If the Wallbies have learned anything from their near death experience against Scotland, they'll bring their A team and A game against the Pumas and wind up meeting NZ in the finals. But I don't think the Wallbies can take the All Blacks no matter what team and game they bring. Then it'll be up to the Boks to thump the Pumas, but I can't dismiss the Pumas; all along I've said they could surprise us, which they clearly did when the steamrolled Ireland.What are your thoughts for the semis? Can anyone see anything other than NZ and Australia winning? Despite my earlier prediction that SA could go all the way - they don't seem to have a good enough game plan to beat NZ - it all seems to be driven by pass the ball to Burger and roll forward a couple of metres at a time. It's effective but if NZ put some width on the ball I can see a fairly easy victory.
In the other SF I think Australia should edge a close match - that's no disrespect to Argentina, I'm just not sure they have another big game in them.