History: Lojban Anthem

Few know this, but Lojban has an Anthem:

http://balance.wiw.org/~jkominek/lojban/9103/msg00022.html

Nick Nicholas had worked out a tune for the anthem, and it is posted below. (Athelstan's comment on the tune when he heard it in 1993, btw, was that it sounded like a typical Third World country national anthem.)

• Having heard many Third World country national anthems, I tend to agree, but only to the degree that a "typical" Third World country national anthem exists. --tsali

Nick Nicholas would also like to suggest some rewordings, so that the two stanzas are actually singable to the same tune (as Lojbab exults in the email "If I can write Lojban poetry, anyone can". Yes, but not everyone can write it metrically ) . In addition, he's added a short chorus, because the tune went in different directions in his brain, and corrected some out of date place structures (as pointed out by tsali: Lojban Anthem: English translation.)

Original:

doi bangu co satci joi ji'a na'e satci
do'u dunda le ko selkai co sidbo velcusku
loi terdi selvo'a noi nitcu lo nintadji
be lo nu menbenji fo loi prenu co simxu

.i doi selmenli co cfipu be le so'imei poi djica
le ka jimpe do'u bevri ko le cfari lei zgatirna
.i .e'o ko cu klina selcusku gi'e jicla
le no'e farvi pe ri'a le nu seljimte loi malgerna

Adjusted:

.i doi bangu co satci joi ji'a na'e satci
do'u dunda le ko selkai co sidbo velcusku
loi terdi selvo'a noi nitcu lo nintadji
be LO nu menbenji fo loi prenu co simxu

.i doi selpensi co cfipu be le so'imei poi djica
le ka jimpe do'u pagre ko le cfari fa lei tirna
.i .e'o ko klina selcusku gi'e jicla
fe LE norfarvi PE le nu seljimte loi malgerna

The setting is available as pdf, as midi, and as mp3. A special surprise awaits you in the last one...

--> Lojban Anthem Discussion (Moved to prevent the surprise in the MP3 from being spoiled. Don't read this until you've heard it!)

Lojban Anthem: English translation

(Give me the Porous Prophet!)