"Isle of Beauty, Isle of Splendour" is the popular title for the
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...
of
Dominica
Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
.
It was adopted upon the island gaining statehood in 1967 and again with Dominica's independence in 1978. The lyrics are by Wilfred Oscar Morgan Pond (1912–1985), and the music was composed by
Lemuel McPherson Christian OBE (1917–2000).
The anthem was listed by ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' as one of the 10 best national anthems of countries competing at the
2008 Beijing Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...
.
[Alex Marshall]
"And the winning anthem is ..."
''The Guardian'', 11 August 2008.
Lyrics
I
Isle of beauty, isle of splendour,
Isle to all so sweet and fair,
All must surely gaze in wonder
At thy gifts so rich and rare.
Rivers, valleys, hills and mountains,
All these gifts we do extol.
Healthy land, so like all fountains,
Giving cheer that warms the soul.
II
Dominica, God hath blest thee
With a clime benign and bright,
Pastures green and flowers of beauty
Filling all with pure delight,
And a people strong and healthy,
Full of godly reverent fear.
May we ever seek to praise Thee
For these gifts so rich and rare.
III
Come ye forward, sons and daughters
Of this gem beyond compare.
Strive for honour, sons and daughters,
Do the right, be firm, be fair.
Toil with hearts and hands and voices.
We must prosper! Sound the call,
In which ev'ryone rejoices,
"All for Each and Each for All."
References
External links
Anthem Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica
"Dominica: Isle of Beauty, Isle of Splendour" YouTube.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isle Of Beauty, Isle Of Splendour
National symbols of Dominica
Dominica music
North American anthems
National anthems
National anthem compositions in C major