Likened to a weather forecast crossed with a church hymn, Switzerland’s national anthem could be binned in favor of a new version if campaigners get their way.
Too heavy on God and Alpine vistas, the anthem fails to reflect today’s values and has never been etched into the national psyche, critics say.
“Nobody knows the words! Anyone who tells you they do is a liar. Or else we manage the first few and afterwards we go ‘la, la, la,’” said Pierre Kohler, president of the jury holding an unofficial competition to choose a new anthem.
Ditching anthems is usually associated with wars and revolutions — think France’s Marseillaise — none of which applies to peaceful, stable Switzerland.
But on Jan. 1, however, organizers kicked off a contest to find a new anthem, open to all and with a first prize of 10,000 Swiss francs (US$11,140). “Personally, I think a national anthem can be changed every 50 or 100 years. It’s not a major problem. On the contrary, it allows people to think,” said Kohler.
The goal is to submit a text to the government by 2016, potentially paving the way for a referendum in this nation of eight million people, renowned for its direct democracy.
“We don’t take issue with the tune, which is quite beautiful,” said Jean-Daniel Gerber, chairman of the Swiss Society for Public Good, the 203-year-old association which masterminded the competition. “The problem is the lyrics. The author had in mind a psalm, not a national anthem,” he said.
(Liberty Times)
被形容成結合天氣預報和教會讚美詩的瑞士現行國歌，很可能會被換掉改成新版，假如推動換國歌的運動人士能夠順利如願的話。
批評者表示，現行國歌內容太偏重上帝和阿爾卑斯山景色，無法反映現代價值，也從未被銘刻在瑞士人的民族心靈中。
舉行新國歌比賽的非官方評審團主席皮耶‧柯勒表示：「根本沒人知道歌詞！那些自稱知道歌詞的人都是騙子。我們只勉強記得前幾句，後面就只好一直『啦啦啦』下去。」
1. cross v.
結合 (jie2 he2)
例: It’s a movie that crosses horror with humor.
(這是一部結合恐怖與幽默的電影。)
2. etch v.
鮮明地描述 (xian1 ming2 de5 miao2 shu4)
例: The events remain etched in the minds of all who witnessed them.
(這些事件至今仍深印在目擊者腦海中。)
3. take issue with v. phr.
提出異議 (ti2 chu1 yi4 yi4)
例: She took issue with the conclusions reached by the study.
(她對這項研究的結論提出異議。)
更換國歌通常都與戰爭和革命有關，例如法國的《馬賽曲》，但這並不適用於和平、安定的瑞士。
但一月一日，運動人士展開一項徵求新國歌的比賽，所有人都可參加，首獎是一萬瑞士法郎（一萬一千一百四十美元）。柯勒說：「以我個人而言，國歌可以每五十年或一百年更換一次。這不是個大問題。相反地，這讓大家有機會省思。」
比賽的目標是在二０一六年前提出新國歌歌詞給政府，並為新國歌公投鋪路，人口八百萬的瑞士素以直接民主制度著稱。
「我們對國歌的旋律沒有意見，其實旋律相當優美，」已有兩百零三年歷史的瑞士公益協會主席葛伯說，該協會正是新國歌比賽的幕後策劃者。「問題在於歌詞。作者當時要寫的是一首讚美詩，而不是國歌，」他說。
（自由時報／翻譯：俞智敏）
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