The flag never lowers on the American empire

Forever, eh?

The national anthem of the United States of America is “The Star-Spangled Banner.” With lyrics scrawled by Francis Scott Key on the back of an envelope during the bombing of Ft. McHenry in 1814, and a tune cribbed from the drinking song “To Anacreon in Heaven” by John Stuart Smith, the full version continues through four bellicose stanzas and is practically unsingable.

That notwithstanding, the anthem was performed at the recent New York Philharmonic concert in Pyongyang. Chinese blogger Fuluzhenxiang noticed that the South Korean media’s Chinese-language account of the concert used an unusual translation for the song’s title: 星星闪烁的旗帜 (“Flag with glittering stars”).

Media reports from mainland China, on the other hand, used 星条旗永不落, or “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” That’s actually the title of another tune, a march composed in 1897 by John Philip Sousa.

This mistranslation is widespread throughout the Chinese media, from national agencies like Xinhua down to local papers. For example, a Guangzhou Daily article last September concerning revisions to the US citizenship test reported that one new question was “Who wrote the US National Anthem, ‘Stars and Stripes Forever’?” Trick question! Try again next time.

Fuluzhenxiang suggests that the confusion of the two songs is not the only reason that a new translation would be a good idea:

Translating “The Star-Spangled Banner” as “The Stars and Stripes Forever” confuses two tunes and implies a glorification of the United States. But whenever the Chinese media mentions the US National Anthem, it always uses the name “Stars and Stripes Forever,” even Xinhua, China’s national news agency. The reference material on Xinhua’s website regarding the US National Anthem mixes up “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” treating them as one song.

Naturally, Americans are pleased when you say “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” just as the English had the old saying, “The sun never sets on the British Empire.” Are the Chinese engaging in a bit of flattery by over-praising the US? They don’t even have that intention themselves.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” was once translated into Chinese as 星条旗之歌 (“The Stars and Stripes Song”). Although this translation may not be stirring enough, it does fit quite well with the American flag. And it’s neutral—neither laudatory nor disparaging. I think that we ought to revive that translation, not to be anti-American, but to call it what it is.

The American National Anthem is “The Star-Spangled Banner” and not “Stars and Stripes Forever,” which is actually the National March of the USA. I hope that we can all amend our ways; I’ll go first and see if I can’t get things going.