Majulah Singapura

“My fellow Linguafoureans …”

Having four national languages is rare; for each to come from a different language family is unique. Linguafour is a space for us to celebrate that treasure.

In this second edition of our monthly newsletter, we consider:

• The national anthem

• The significance of the number nine

• Mid-Autumn Festival

• Teacher’s Day

In case you missed it, our first edition was published on Singapore’s 59th birthday, along with this celebratory video:

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National Anthem

“Majulah Singapura” has been the national anthem of the Republic since full independence on 9th August 1965. But did you know that it was first performed seven years earlier, on 6th September 1958? The song’s purpose was to unite the different races in Singapore, even before they were a nation.

The familiar Malay words are:

Mari kita rakyat Singapura
Sama-sama menuju bahagia
Cita-cita kita yang mulia
Berjaya Singapura

Marilah kita bersatu
Dengan semangat yang baru
Semua kita berseru
Majulah Singapura

There are authorised translations into English, Chinese and Tamil which help everyone to understand the meaning of the lyrics, but because different languages work in different ways there are always elements that are lost in translation that are worth us trying to recover.

• Mari kita rakyat Singapura is warmer and more inclusive than “Come, fellow Singaporeans” or “来吧，新加坡人民” (Come, people of Singapore), and more inviting than "சிங்கப்பூர் மக்கள் நாம்" (We, the people of Singapore)

• Sama-sama implies more of a sense of equality and shared effort than is conveyed by “together,” “共同” or “செல்வோம்” (celvōm, we will go)

• Bahagia is more holistic than “happiness”, “மகிழ்ச்சி” (makizchchi), or even “幸福.” 

• Cita-cita emphasises more than “our noble aspiration” or “崇高的理想” might - or indeed “வெற்றிதான்” (veṟṟitāṉ, success) - that the dreams and goals are shared and practical. The short reduplicated sounds of both "sama-sama" and “cita-cita” have a different emotional impact to “together” and “aspiration/ideal/success”

• Berjaya carries connotations of people together overcoming challenges more than “bring Singapore success” or “要使新加坡成功” do, or “சிறந்த நம் நாட்டமே” (ciṟanta nam nāṭṭamē, our great nation).

• Marilah reiterates the earlier “mari” but now adds greater intensity and urgency.

• Semangat includes a vibrancy and enthusiasm that may not be communicated by “spirit,” and a motivation or common vision that may not be evident in புத்துணர்வு (puttuṇarvu, renewed energy)

• Berseru (call out) is more personally active than “voices soar,” arguably more diverse and purposeful than “齐声欢呼,” and more proclamatory than “முழங்குவோம்” (muḻaṅkuvōm, we will move forward).

There is nothing wrong with the authorised translations, of course, but these nuances of the Malay which cannot be adequately conveyed in translation are a great illustration of why Singapore is uniquely blessed in having four national languages from four different languages families. This fourfold linguistic heritage is a treasure that all Singaporeans share.

Zubir Said quoted a Malaysian proverb to sum up his philosophy when writing the anthem:

This might be translated into English as: “Hold up the sky of the land where you live.” The Malay delightfully juxtaposes “bumi” and “langit”:

• Bumi is the “earth” - the solid ground where your home, security and roots are.

• Langit is the “heavens” - the infinite space of the divine where your dreams, aspirations and spirit soar.

This proverb brings to mind the Tamil: “வானம் பார்த்து பூமி பிளவாது” (vaanam paarthu bhoomi pilavaathu), meaning “The earth does not break when you look at the sky.” We are encouraged to remain grounded in our shared heritage as together we pursue loftier ambitions.

The expression also recalls the Chinese: "妇女能顶半边天" (fù nǚ néng dǐng bàn biān tiān), meaning “Women hold up half the sky.” This assertion that women are equally as important as men in contributing to development and progress in the world applies also to the diversity of races in Singapore.

(Incidentally, did you see the “Don’t call him Mr Mari Kita” show at Funan last month, celebrating the life and legacy of Zubir Said?)

Nine

Today is the 9th day of the 9th month, a date that has significance because “九” (jiǔ, nine) is pronounced the same as “久” (jiǔ, long time) and so is seen as symbolic of something permanent or eternal. (The English expression “Long time no see” is a transliteration of the Chinese “好久不见” (hǎo jiǔ bù jiàn), where “久” (jiǔ, long time) is intensified by “好” (hǎo, well or very)).

As the highest single-digit number, nine was also traditionally seen as representative of the emperor and, by extension, of the Chinese dragon and thus of China and the whole world around it. At the Temple of Heaven in Beijing there is an altar where the emperor would make sacrifices in the depths of winter each year, thanking “上帝” (God) for the harvests already gathered in and to pray for abundant harvests to come. This altar is designed around the number nine. For example, the heart stone is surrounded by nine circles of flagstones, the first comprising nine stones, the second eighteen, the third twenty-seven and so on. There is something beautiful and inspiring about this which we can all appreciate, whether or not we speak any Chinese.

Nine is often considered a sacred or powerful number in Malay culture also, especially in traditional mysticism and folklore. In Tamil culture, nine has connotations of completeness and is associated with the gods and auspiciousness. That is intensified in the number 108, which is twelve times nine. In English, three is a more common symbol of completeness and is associated with the Trinity (the God who is three in one, according to Christian theology). Nine is of course three times three, so we could see it as a completeness of completeness.

This simple play on words in Chinese, passed through the lenses of Malay, Tamil and English, can turn something as ordinary as today’s date into a prompt for all of us to reflect with gratitude on what transcends our ever-changing circumstances, unites us despite our differences and makes us whole.

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Mid-Autumn Festival

Wholeness and gratitude are also themes of next week’s Mid-Autumn festival. This is when traditionally families in China gathered together after the harvest to celebrate with feasting and colourful lanterns under the brightest full moon of the year. If you’re not Chinese, why not ask your Chinese friends what the festival means to them today?

In Tamil culture, Thaipusam is a major event at the full moon in the month of Thai (in January or February) to express gratitude; while Karthigai Deepam, during the full moon in the month of Karthigai (in November or December), is a celebration of the victory of light over darkness with lamps and lights.

For Malays and others who follow the Islamic calendar, the crescent moon is a ubiquitous symbol of hope and of God’s guidance through the darkness. Some take the three Ayyamul Beidh (“The White Days”) when the moon is fullest each month as particular days for fasting and spiritual reflection.

Whether the prompt is a harvest (including of academic or corporate results) or a full moon or both, in the face of continual challenges and the roller-coaster of life, it is important to come together regularly to celebrate connection and wholeness and unity with gratitude.

Teacher’s Day

Since the last edition, Teacher’s day was celebrated in Singapore (on 30th August) and in India (on 5th September). It will be celebrated tomorrow in China. And before our next edition, we will have World Teacher’s day (on 5th October) as designated by UNESCO designated. (In Malaysia, Teacher’s day is celebrated on 16th May).

In the spirit of this month’s edition, let us be thankful for and express our gratitude to all our teachers past and present. As we do so, let us not forget to treasure the four national languages of Singapore because they too have things to teach us, even if we are not actually a speaker of that language ourselves. There much to learn from the perspectives captured in others’ languages, even if we have to use English to share them with one another.

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Enjoy the day and see you next month!

PS. If you’re curious, come and find out about Linguafour’s name and logo. And why not check out our previous posts whilst you are there?

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^{Picture credit: Josephine Poh from Singapore., CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Tomruen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons}