Die Stem van Suid-Afrika
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Die Stem van Suid-Afrika, or The Call of South Africa in English, 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 was universally disliked by black South Africans, who saw it as triumphalist and associated it with the apartheid regime. 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 Olympic Games 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 rugby jersey featuring another symbol of apartheid, the springbok.
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.
Lyrics
| First verse | |
|---|---|
| Uit die blou van onse hemel, | Ringing out from our blue heavens, |
| Uit die diepte van ons see, | From the deep seas breaking round, |
| Oor ons ewige gebergtes | Over everlasting mountains, |
| Waar die kranse antwoord gee. | Where the echoing crags resound, |
| Deur ons vèr verlate vlaktes | Through the plains where creaking wagons, |
| Met die kreun van ossewa. | Cut their trails into the earth, |
| Ruis die stem van ons geliefde, | Comes the calling of our country, |
| Van ons land Suid-Afrika. | Of the land that gave us birth. |
| Ons sal antwoord op jou roepstem, | At thy call we shall not falter, |
| Ons sal offer wat jy vra: | Firm and steadfast we shall stand, |
| Ons sal lewe, ons sal sterwe, | At thy will to live or perish, |
| Ons vir jou, Suid-Afrika. | O South Africa, dear land. |
| Second verse | |
| In die merg van ons gebeente, | In our body and our spirit, |
| in ons hart en siel en gees, | For our inmost heart held fast; |
| In ons roem op ons verlede, | For the promise of our future, |
| In ons hoop op wat sal wees. | And the glory of our past; |
| In ons wil en werk en wandel, | For our will, our work, our striving, |
| Van ons wieg tot aan ons graf. | From the cradle to the grave- |
| Deel geen ander land ons liefde, | There's no land that shares our loving, |
| Trek geen ander trou ons af. | And no bond that can enslave. |
| Vaderland, ons sal die adel, | Thou hast borne us and we know thee, |
| Van jou naam met ere dra: | May our deeds to all proclaim |
| Waar en trou as Afrikaners, | Our enduring love and service |
| Kinders van Suid-Afrika. | To thy honour and thy name. |
| Third verse | |
| In die songloed van ons somer, | In the golden warmth of summer, |
| in ons winternag se kou, | In the chill of winter's air, |
| In die lente van ons liefde, | In the surging life of springtime, |
| in die lanfer van ons rou. | In the autumn of despair; |
| By die klink van huw'liksklokkies, | When the wedding bells are chiming, |
| by die kluit-klap op die kis. | Or when those we love depart, |
| Streel jou stem ons nooit verniet nie, | Thou dost know us for thy children |
| Weet jy waar jou kinders is. | And dost take us to thy heart |
| Op jou roepstem sê ons nooit nee nie, | Loudly peals the answering chorus; |
| Sê ons altyd, altyd ja: | We are thine, and we shall stand, |
| Om te lewe, om te sterwe - | Be it life or death, to answer |
| Ja, ons kom, Suid-Afrika. | To thy call, beloved land. |
| Fourth verse | |
| Op U Almag vas vertrouend | In thy power, Almighty, trusting, |
| het ons vadere gebou: | Did our fathers build of old; |
| Skenk ook ons die krag, o Here! | Strengthen then, O Lord, their children |
| Om te handhaaf en te hou. | To defend, to love, to hold- |
| Dat die erwe van ons vadere | That the heritage they gave us |
| Vir ons kinders erwe bly: | For our children yet may be; |
| Knegte van die Allerhoogste, | Bondsmen only to the Highest |
| Teen die hele wêreld vry. | And before the whole world free. |
| Soos ons vadere vertrou het, | As our fathers trusted humbly, |
| Leer ook ons vertrou, o Heer: | Teach us, Lord to trust Thee still; |
| Met ons land en met ons nasie | Guard our land and guide our people |
| Sal dit wel wees, God regeer. | In Thy way to do Thy will. |
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