Talk:The Sword March

Name

The name "The Dadao March", let alone "The Ta-tao March", seems to be so FRINGE as to not even be worth mentioning on the page. Ngram finds nothing for any of them; Scholar finds nothing for any of them except this for "Sword March"; Books finds nothing for any of them except "The Sword March" and "The Big Sword March". This literally seems to have been a well-intentioned editor inventing a new name for the song. Don't do that. — LlywelynII 14:56, 24 January 2015 (UTC)

Composer

This article says Lü Ji, this one says Pan He (but may be talking about a sculpture based on the song), and this one says Mai Lin. — LlywelynII 16:29, 24 January 2015 (UTC)

Translation

Seems like there isn't anything authoritative in English; the closest is this passage whose translation concerns the original form (about the 28th Army), seems a little off (the "we are not alone" is completely different), and is under copyright (not that we'd want to call it a "great broadsword" anyway). Apart from personal choices about phrasing, some simple errors with the previous version are:

• Per WP:MOS-ZH, even if we kept the name dadao untranslated, we shouldn't use the tone marks for the vowels. It is (literally) the "big dao", but "big sword" seems infelicitous. Personally, I'd use "machete" as the best familiar analogue, but it does seem established as "sword" or "broadsword". Since "broadsword" is entirely misleading, "sword" is probably best.
• 全 is "whole" or "entire", not a preposition.

 — LlywelynII 01:08, 25 January 2015 (UTC)

Just added a version that can (roughly) be sung to the same tune and isn't too much more 'poety' than the original. (Vernacular Chinese would put the Japanese heads after the main verb just like in English.) If people would prefer a closer translation that doesn't pay attention to the original meter:

[Our] machetes raised over all the [foreign] devils' heads! Hack them off!

Armed brothers of the entire nation!

The War of Resistance's day has arrived! (x2)

Before [us], there are the Northeast's Righteous & Brave Armies!

Behind [us], there are the entire nation's old 100 families!

We, the Chinese army, bravely advance!

Look well there upon the enemy!

Strike him [and] wipe [him] out! (x2)

Charge!

[Our] machetes raised over all the [foreign] devils' heads! Hack them off!

Kill!

 — LlywelynII 04:34, 25 January 2015 (UTC)