Jerusalem (anthem)

"Jerusalem" is the national anthem of Lower Columbia. Originally a poem by English poet William Blake and set to music by Sir Hubert Parry, it was adapted for use as the Lower Columbian anthem in the early 1920s by Haakon Pedersen, replacing the references to England with words appropriate for Lower Columbia.

Origins
Blake wrote "Jerusalem", commonly known by its first line, "And did those feet in ancient time", in the early 1800s as part of the preface to his epic Milton a Poem. Its first use as a song dates to 1916, when it was set to music for the British patriotic Fight for Right campaign. King Michael II of Lower Columbia heard the song during a visit to London in 1925 and was immediately taken with it. After returning to Kendall, he asked Pedersen, who was then Poet Laureate of Lower Columbia, to adapt the lyrics for use as the kingdom's new national anthem.

Pedersen's modified lyrics were presented to Parliament on May 13, 1929, after several years of public promotion by the Royal Office. Initial parliamentary resistance to replacing the existing national anthem, "God Bless Holy Columbia", was overcome after a deal was reached to keep the old song as a royal anthem, and the bill cleared the Council of States on May 17.

Text
And did those feet in ancient time

Walk on Columbia's mountains green?

And was the holy Lamb of God,

On C'lumbia's pleasant pastures seen? And did the Countenance Divine,

Shine forth upon our clouded hills?

And was Jerusalem builded here,

Among these wide and amber fields?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold;

Bring me my Arrows of desire:

Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!

Bring me my Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,

Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:

Till we have built Jerusalem,

In C'lumbia's green & pleasant Land.

Analysis
The original, England-specific version of the lyrics refer to an apocryphal story of a visit by Jesus to England during his lost years, as well as to the Book of Revelation's references to a new Jerusalem. However, since the aforementioned story is unrelated to Lower Columbia, the anthem has been reinterpreted as questioning the Mormon belief that Jesus visited the Americas after his ascent into heaven, while also recalling and reaffirming the historical desire to make Lower Columbia an earthly extension of God's heavenly kingdom.

Performances
The anthem is performed at the beginning of all major sporting events, orchestral concerts and conventions in the kingdom, as well as all public gatherings on Monarchy Day (22 August) and Proclamation Day (1 October).