Beasts of England

All you want to know about Beasts of England

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"Beasts of England" is a fictional song in George Orwell's novel Animal Farm. In the allegory, it corresponds to the famous socialist anthem "The Internationale". It also alludes to Shelley's "Men of England".

In the book, the pig Old Major explains his dream of an animal-controlled society three nights before his death. In this dream, he recalls a tune sung to him as a piglet, entitled "Beasts of England". After a few minutes of singing, the pigs memorize the song and the other animals at least pick up the tune.

Beasts of England, Beasts of Ireland,
Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken to my joyful tidings
Of the Golden future time.

Soon of late the day is coming,
Tyrant Man shall be o'er thrown,
And the fruitful fields of England
Shall be trod by beasts alone.

Rings shall vanish from our noses,
And the harness from our back,
Bit and spur shall rust forever,
Cruel whips no more shall crack.

Riches more than mind can picture,
Wheat and barley, oats and hay,
Clover, beans and mangel-wurzels
Shall be ours upon that day.

Bright will shine the fields of England,
Purer shall its waters be,
Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes
On the day that sets us free.

For that day we all must labor,
Though we die before it break;
Cows and horses, geese and turkeys,
All must toil for freedom's sake.

Beasts of England, Beasts of Ireland,
Beasts of every land and clime,
Hearken well, and spread my tidings
Of the Golden future time. (Orwell Animal Farm pgs 9-10)

The animals sing "Beasts of England" frequently after the revolution, especially after meetings. However, as Napoleon grows more powerful, he orders that the singing of "Beasts of England" be outlawed, and replaced the song with an anthem praising himself:

'Friend of fatherless! Fountain of happiness! Lord of the swill-bucket! Oh, how my soul is on Fire when I gaze at thy Calm and commanding eye, Like the sun in the sky, Comrade Napoleon!

Thou are the giver of All that thy creatures love, Full belly twice a day, clean straw to roll upon; Every beast big and small Sleeps at peace in his stall, Thou watchest over all, Comrade Napoleon!

Had I a sucking-pig, Ere he had grown as big Even as a pint bottle or as a rolling-pin, He should have learned to be Faithful and true to thee, yes, his first squeak should be "Comrade Napoleon!"'''''This mirrors the history of "The Internationale" in the Soviet Union: it was the country's national anthem until 1944, when Joseph Stalin replaced it with the "Hymn of the Soviet Union". However, "The Internationale" was not banned by the Soviet Union at any time, and remained as the anthem of the Communist Party.

Although the songs are different structurally, the content of "Beasts of England" mirrors that of "The Internationale". The first line, 'Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland', shows the international nature of 'Animalism', just as "The Internationale" included the line 'unites the human race'. It speaks of a future utopia free from human control, and a time of plenty. In "The Internationale" this is only briefly mentioned 'And give to all a happier lot. Instead, "The Internationale" is more militant. More similar is the talk of shackles and chains. Compare 'Our own right hand the chains must shiver/Chains of hatred, greed and fear' in "The Internationale" with 'Rings shall vanish from our noses/And the harness from our back/Bit and spur shall rust forever/Cruel whips no more shall crack' in "Beasts Of England". Chains in "The Internationale" are metaphorical, and those in "Beasts Of England" are literal. The final similarity is between 'Tyrant Man' and 'No faith have we in prince or peer'.

v • d • e Animal Farm by George Orwell

Characters	Old Major \| Napoleon \| Snowball \| Squealer \| Frederick \| Pilkington \| Jones \| Boxer \| Benjamin \| Rebel Pigs \|

Concepts	Beasts of England \| Comrade Napoleon \| Animalism \| Seven Commandments \| Socialism \| Political Corruption \| Communism \| The Ruling Class \| Secret Police \| Marxism \|

Other media	1954 film \| 1999 film