The Star-Spangled Banner (Navajo Lyrics) (National Anthem)
DayBreakWarrior says, This is the lyrics, in the Navajo language, to our nation’s National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It was originally a poem by Francis Scott Key written in 1814. It was later set to music by John Stafford Smith. The song presented here is sung by Radmilla A. Cody, former Miss Navajo Nation (1997-1998) and recording artist. This song is available on her album entitled “Within the Four Directions.”
Translation uses parts of the wording taken from DayBreakWarrior as noted in each line taken from it. Corpus Of Diné Bizaad expanded on the translation given in the video.
The Star-Spangled Banner (Navajo Lyrics) (National Anthem)
Dah Naatʼaʼí Sǫʼ bił Sinil
The Flag (is up) with the Stars
Yá shoo danółʼį́į́ʼ
I see you (3+) looked at it
Hayoołkááł biyiʼdę́ę́ʼ
Before dawn, from inside
Baa dahwiiʼniihgo átʼé
About which it is that we (3+) praise
Dah naatʼaʼí éí yéigo nihił nilíinii
The flag (up) is truly (making an effort) with us
Noodǫ́ǫ́z dóó bizǫʼ disxǫs
It’s striped and it’s glittering with its stars
Naabaah yitaayá
It went among the warriors
Bitsʼą́ą́honiyéeʼgo deiníłʼį́
As with fear they’re seeing it…
Nihichʼįʼ ínidída ndi baa ííníidlį́
We trust in it until then
Áh, hoolʼáágóó bineʼ neidą́
Ah, for ever it shields us
Báhádzid dahólǫ́ǫ ndi
It doesn’t matter the existing fear (in us)
Éí yeeʼ bee tʼáá sih hasin
Regarding that, there’s hope thanks to it
Tʼóó nihá dah siłtzoos ndi
It’s just resting up high for us despite being delicate
Tʼóó shį́į́ éí sǫʼ bił sinilgo
Just as the stars are resting with it
Dah naatʼá, áh hoolʼáa doo
Flying up, forever ahead
Nihikéyah bikʼihígíí
The one that’s over our land
Kʼad hózhǫ́ náhásdlį́į́ʼ
Now beauty / balance / peace is restored
WORD BY WORD ANALYSIS
Yá shoo danółʼį́į́ʼ
I see you (3+) looked at it
- yá means “heaven” or also “at it”
- shoo means “I see”
- danółʼį́į́ʼ contains ’į́į́ which means “to look” in the perfective stem with the 3+ you form of danoł, as “you 3+ look”
Hayoołkááł biyiʼdę́ę́ʼ
Before dawn, from inside
- hayoołkááł means the “dawn light, early morning light, pre-dawn”, the time between yidisską́ (first light right after noon) and hoos’įįd (dawn)
- biyiʼdę́ę́ʼ means “from inside it / within it”
Baa dahwiiʼniihgo átʼé
About which it is that we (3+) praise
- baa means “about / concerning / for”
- dahwiiʼniih means “we 3+ praise” (DayBreakWarrior), or “we 3+ know” in wiktionary
- go works as a sentential what
- átʼé means “it is”
Dah naatʼaʼí éí yéigo nihił nilíinii
The flag (up) is truly (making an effort) to with us
- dah means “up”
- naatʼaʼí means “flag”
- éí is a topic marker (“as for”)
- yéigo means “truly / indeed / making an effort”
- nihił means “with us”
- nilíi means “it exists / belongs”
- nii means “in a series” or “in a group”, as in the names of clans
- nihił nilíinii means “it’s the one we’re proud of”, construction bił nilį́ (to be proud of), following DayBreakWarrior
Noodǫ́ǫ́z dóó bizǫʼ disxǫs
It’s striped and it’s glittering with its stars
- noodǫ́ǫ́z means “its stripes” or “it’s striped”
- dóó means “and”
- bizǫʼ means “its start” with bi (possession marker) and zǫ’ which is sǫ with an s turned voiced appearing between vowels
- disxǫs means “it (the flag) is glittering”, or “its stars are glittering” but disxǫs would need to be in plural +3.
Naabaah yitaayá
It went among the warriors
- naabaah means “warriors / soldiers”
- yitaayá means “it went among” which contains yá, perfective of singular go, taa or ta which a prefix meaning “among”
Bitsʼą́ą́honiyéeʼgo deiníłʼį́
As with fear they’re seeing it…
- bitsʼą́ą́honi means “its fear, awe” with bi (its) and ts’ą́ą́honi (fear, awe), as in DayBreakWarrior
- yéeʼ means “from it”
- go means “during”
- deiníłʼį́ means “they (+3) seeing it”
Nihichʼįʼ ínidída ndi baa ííníidlį́
We trust in it until then.
- nihichʼįʼ means “for us / toward our people”
- ínidída means “until then”
- ndi means “but”
- baa means “in” as in “we trust in”
- ííníidlį́ means “we trust” (DayBreakWarrior)
Áh, hoolʼáágóó bineʼ neidą́
Ah, for ever it shields us
- áh means “ah”, emotional interjection
- hoolʼáágóó means “for ever, eternally”
- bineʼ neidą́ means “it shields us” with bine’gi (behind) and neidą́ may have the positional stem ą́ (solid roundish object), and may mean it’s positioned on the heart to protect it
Báhádzid dahólǫ́ǫ ndi
It doesn’t matter the existing fear (in us)
- báhádzid means “fear” with beginning b- may imply in us
- dahólǫ́ǫ means “they 3+ exist”
- ndi at the end of the phrase means “no matter”, “despite this”
Éí yeeʼ bee tʼáá sih hasin
Regarding that, there’s hope thanks to it
- éí yeeʼ means “regarding that”
- bee means “with it”
- tʼáá means “just” or there is
- sihasin means “hope”
Tʼóó nihá dah siłtzoos ndi
It’s just resting up high for us despite being thing and delicate.
- tʼóó means “still / continuously / merely”
- nihá means “for us”
- dah means “up”
- siłtzoos means “it’s a sheet-like object at rest up high” (DayBreakWarrior)
- ndi means “no matter” or “despite” because it’s at the end of the phrase
Tʼóó shį́į́ éí sǫʼ bił sinilgo
Just as the (stars, plural objects) are resting with (you or me)
- tʼóó means “merely”
- shį́į́ means “would”
- éí is topicalizer
- sǫʼ means “stars”
- bił means “with”
- sinil means plural objects are resting
- go means “as”
Dah naatʼá, áh hoolʼáa doo
Flying up, forever ahead
- dah naatʼá means “it flies up” (DayBreakWarrior), also the passive form of neiʼá meaning it’s carrying the solid roundish object
- áh hool’áa means “forever”
- doo may mean towards the future
Nihikéyah bikʼihígíí
The one that’s over our land
- nihikéyah means “our land”
- bikʼihígíí means “over it / above it”
- ígíí means “the one that”
Kʼad hózhǫ́ náhásdlį́į́ʼ
- kʼad means “now”
- hózhǫ́ means “beauty / balance / peace”
- náhásdlį́į́ʼ means “is restored”
Nizhónígo Ya’iishjáátsoh Dį́į’go Yoołkáhígíí Nee Adooleeł Ya’ (says DayBreakWarrior) = Happy Fourth of July
- Nizhónígo means “happily”
- Ya’iishjáátsoh means “July”
- Dį́į’go means “fourth”
- Yoołkáhígíí means “date”
- Nee means “for you”
- Adooleeł means future
- Ya’ means “really”