National Anthems: Israel and India

The English and Hebrew versions of the state of Israel national anthem:

Hatikva\Naftali Hertz Imber

As long as deep in the heart,
The soul of a Jew yearns,
And forward to the East
To Zion, an eye looks
Our hope will not be lost,
The hope of two thousand years,
To be a free nation in our land,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.

Transliteration	התקוה
Kol od balevav p'nimah	כל עוד בלבב פנימה
Nefesh Yehudi homiyah	נפש יהודי הומיה
Ulfa'atey mizrach kadimah	ולפאתי מזרח קדימה
Ayin l'tzion tzofiyah	עין לציון צופיה
Od lo avdah tikvatenu	עוד לא אבדה תקותנו
Hatikvah bat shnot alpayim	התקוה בת שנות אלפים
L'hiyot am chofshi b'artzenu	להיות עם חופשי בארצנו
Eretz Tzion v'Yerushalayim	ארץ ציון וירושלים

(This version was taken from http://www.science.co.il/Israel-anthem.asp)

India national anthem:

Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,

Dispenser of India's destiny.

Thy name rouses the hearts of the Punjab,

Sind, Gujarat, and Maratha,

Of the Dravid, and Orissa and Bengal.

It echoes in the hills of Vindhyas and,

Himalayas, mingles in the music of the

Jamuna and the Ganges and is chanted by

the waves of the Indian sea.

The pray for the blessings,

and sing by the praise,

The saving of all people

waits in thy hand.

Thou dispenser of India's destiny,

Victory, victory, victory to thee.

When looking at both anthems I can say that India's anthem is listing the different people within this huge country, it also presents us with the different views and parts of the land. It is trying to unite the gaps, the arguments, the differences and rely on similarities to form one anthem for one country.

Hatikva, means "the hope\ our hope". The anthem is referring to the Jewish people, wherever they are. it is talking about the infinite yearning for a place to call home, for a country where they will be protected and to live there in freedom. This hope is two thousands years old, because the people of Israel (the Jewish people) were exiled from its' country for that time of period. Unfortunately this song is still very relevant, this country is in constant threat from its' surrounding countries, terrorism from abroad and from within. The Anthem was written more then forty years before then state was founded and that's where the name come from, it was a hope, something that you wish for it to happen.

Dror

(I am not very familiar with the U.S. national anthem, but from reading it briefly it looks like it symbolize a period that is long gone. But it doesn't mean it is no relevant. Moreover, I think it is very important that the anthem will represent not only the present being but will also remind its' people about their origin, and about the struggle they have gone through to form the country. I must say though, that when I think of the sentence "the home of the brave" It's hard for me to associate Madoff, Bush and Snooki with these words..)