Taiwan the Formosa
Encyclopedia
Taiwan the Formosa is a poem written (conceived in 1977; finalized in 1993) by Taiwanese poet and clergy
man Tīⁿ Jî-gio̍k (John Jyi-giokk Ti'n, Er-Yu Cheng), set to music between 1988 and 1993 by neo-Romantic Taiwanese composer Tyzen Hsiao
. An English metrical translation was provided by Boris and Clare Anderson. The text represents an early example of the popular verse that emerged from the Taiwanese literature movement
in the 1970s and 80s. In 1994 Hsiao used this hymn
to conclude his 1947 Overture for soprano, choir and orchestra..
Taiwan the Formosa has been popular with pro-democracy
activists and has been adopted by the Taiwan independence movement
as a proposed national anthem
for a future Republic of Taiwan. The first stanza is secular. The second has overt Christian
references in keeping with the poet's vocation as a minister
in the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan
. The second verse is intended only for performance in church settings or similarly appropriate environments.
(Christian stanza added in church performance:)
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
man Tīⁿ Jî-gio̍k (John Jyi-giokk Ti'n, Er-Yu Cheng), set to music between 1988 and 1993 by neo-Romantic Taiwanese composer Tyzen Hsiao
Tyzen Hsiao
Tyzen Hsiao is a Taiwanese composer of the neo-Romantic school. Many of his vocal works set poems written in Taiwanese, the mother tongue of the majority of the island's residents. His compositions stand as a musical manifestation of the Taiwanese literature movement that revitalized the island's...
. An English metrical translation was provided by Boris and Clare Anderson. The text represents an early example of the popular verse that emerged from the Taiwanese literature movement
Taiwanese literature movement
The Taiwanese literature movement refers to the effort of authors, poets, dramatists, musicians, and publishers in Taiwan to establish recognition of a distinctly Taiwanese body of literature...
in the 1970s and 80s. In 1994 Hsiao used this hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
to conclude his 1947 Overture for soprano, choir and orchestra..
Taiwan the Formosa has been popular with pro-democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
activists and has been adopted by the Taiwan independence movement
Taiwan independence
Taiwan independence is a political movement whose goals are primarily to formally establish the Republic of Taiwan by renaming or replacing the Republic of China , form a Taiwanese national identity, reject unification and One country, two systems with the People's Republic of China and a Chinese...
as a proposed national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
for a future Republic of Taiwan. The first stanza is secular. The second has overt Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
references in keeping with the poet's vocation as a minister
Minister of religion
In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...
in the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan
Presbyterian Church in Taiwan
The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan was planted in Taiwan in the 19th century by Dr James Laidlaw Maxwell Snr of the Presbyterian Church of England and Dr George Leslie Mackay of the Presbyterian Church in Canada....
. The second verse is intended only for performance in church settings or similarly appropriate environments.
Original text
The poem was originally written in Taiwanese pe̍h-ōe-jī. It has subsequently been translated into other languages, such as Hakka (by another clergyman Hiû San-hiùng).- Thài-pêng-iûⁿ se-lâm hái-piⁿ, bí-lē-tó Tâi-oân chhùi-chhiⁿ.
- Chá-chêng hō͘ gōa-pang thóng-tī, kiàn-kok taⁿ teh chhut-thâu-thiⁿ.
- Kiōng-hô-kok hiàn-hoat ê ki-chhó͘, sù-cho̍k-kûn pêng-téng saⁿ hia̍p-chō͘.
- Jîn-lūi bûn-hòa, sè-kài hô-pêng, kok-bîn hiòng-chêng kòng-hiàn châi-lêng.
- Choè goân-thaû Siōng-tè chhòng-chō, bí-lē-tó Tâi-oân choè-hó.
- Siúⁿ-sù hō͘ chó͘-sian khiā-khí, kiàn-kok taⁿ Siōng-chú liap-lí.
- Chú Ki-tok kok-ka ê kun-ông, lí-sióng-pang bo̍k-phiau ê kià-bōng.
- Lán beh kiàn-siat jîn-ài kong-gī, chó͘-kok moá-toē chhin-chhiūⁿ tī thiⁿ. (A-men.)
Chinese text
- 太平洋西南海邊，美麗島台灣翠青。
- 早前受外邦統治，獨立今在出頭天。
- 共和國憲法的基礎，四族群平等相協助。
- 人類文化世界和平，國民向前貢獻才能。
- 最源頭上帝創造，美麗島台灣做好，
- 賞賜互相公居起，建國今是祂攝理。
- 主基督國家的君王，理想邦目標的寄望，
- 咱欲建設仁愛公義，祖國滿地親像在天。
English version
- By Pacific’s western shore, beauteous isle, our green Taiwan.
- Once suffered under alien rule, free at last to be its own.
- Here’s the basis of our nation: four diverse groups in unity,
- come to offer all their varied skills, for the good of all and a world at peace.
Non-metrical paraphrase in English
- On the southwestern edge of the Pacific OceanPacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
stands the lush TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, the beautiful island ("FormosaTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
"). - Earlier it was ruled by foreign powersPower in international relationsPower in international relations is defined in several different ways. Political scientists, historians, and practitioners of international relations have used the following concepts of political power:...
, but now it has achieved its nationNationA nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
hood ("chhut-thâu-thiⁿ"). - The republicRepublicA republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
being the basis of its constitutionConstitutionA constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
, the four ethnic groupsDemographics of TaiwanThis article is about the demographic features of the population in Taiwan, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
are equal and co-operate with one another. - Towards humanityCompassionCompassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.There is an aspect of...
, civilizationCivilizationCivilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
, and peacePeacePeace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
, the people will come forward to contribute their talents.
(Christian stanza added in church performance:)
- In the beginning, GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
created the beautiful island of Taiwan, our favourite. - God gave it to our ancestors to inhabit and still looks over our nation.
- ChristChristChrist is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
being the Lord of our nation, the ideal state is our hope and aim. - We will work towards loveLoveLove is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
and justiceJusticeJustice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
, so that our motherland will become as heaven on earthKingdom of GodThe Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is a foundational concept in the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.The term "Kingdom of God" is found in all four canonical gospels and in the Pauline epistles...
. (AmenAmenThe word amen is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Its use in Judaism dates back to its earliest texts. It has been generally adopted in Christian worship as a concluding word for prayers and hymns. In Islam, it is the standard ending to Dua and the...
.)
See also
- National Anthem of the Republic of ChinaNational Anthem of the Republic of China"National Anthem of the Republic of China" is the current national anthem of the Republic of China .The Republic of China was recognized as the government of mainland China prior to 1949. Since then the Republic of China has controlled Taiwan and some other nearby islands...
- Proposed flag of TaiwanProposed flag of TaiwanSeveral proposals for a flag of Taiwan have been initiated by supporters of Taiwan independence to replace the flag of the Republic of China as the national flag flown over Taiwan. Supporters of Taiwan independence object to the use of the flag of the Republic of China since it was designed by and...
- Republic of Taiwan
- Taiwanese literature movementTaiwanese literature movementThe Taiwanese literature movement refers to the effort of authors, poets, dramatists, musicians, and publishers in Taiwan to establish recognition of a distinctly Taiwanese body of literature...
- Taiwan independenceTaiwan independenceTaiwan independence is a political movement whose goals are primarily to formally establish the Republic of Taiwan by renaming or replacing the Republic of China , form a Taiwanese national identity, reject unification and One country, two systems with the People's Republic of China and a Chinese...
- TaiwanizationTaiwanizationTaiwanization , also known as the Taiwanese localization movement, is a political term used in Taiwan to emphasize the importance of a separate Taiwanese culture rather than to regard Taiwan as solely an appendage of China...
External links
- Sheet music and mp3 audio files
- "Taiwan the Formosa" / "Taiwan the Green" (台灣翠青) Kaohsiung Chamber Choir (蕭泰然). YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgVcMLXwO60&playnext_from=TL&videos=ELCG6dyswFA
- Sing our national anthem—Taiwan the Formosa
- Translations of Taiwan the Formosa in several languages