Het Wilhelmus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVYH3JUbXtY
Wilhelmus van Nassouwe
ben ik van Duitsen bloed.
den vaderland getrouwe
blijf ik tot in den dood.
Een Prinse van Oranje
ben ik vrij, onverveerd
den Koning van Hispanje
heb ik altijd geeerd

William of Nassouwe,
i am of Dutch blood
loyal to the fatherland
i will remain until i die
a Prince of Orange
i am free, fearless,
the King of Spain
i have always honoured.

my favourite national anthem.

i also like:
germany's Deutschlandlied
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjZ-QnduVxg
france's la marseillaise
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWEIUxantVs
italy's Fratelli d'Italia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYCmKAyt-hk&NR=1

i think these anthems are all very stirring, in their own ways. in a way, you can tell which anthem belongs to which country. it's the same way as you determine which country/region a person is from. it's the way they speak, the inflections in the tone. if i am in a room with a spaniard(or italian), a french and a german, i think the moment i hear them speak, i can guess who is who.

but i must admit, that's actually a stereotype. nevertheless, it is still a general guide.

back to the anthems, if you take a look at their lyrics, they might not seem relevant today, but i still think they manage to capture the essence of the respective peoples. which again might no longer be that clear a concept, because of immigration and globalisation. but the fact that they are proud of their anthems show that these anthems are still relevant.