Advance Australia Fair

[Garin]

Hello, everyone!

In a graphic novel I am translating (Y: The Last Man), they mention the Australian anthem "Advance Australia Fair". Since in the novel it is used in a context, I need to translate it into Czech. And therein lies the rub. Although I have read the complete lyrics, I am no too sure what did the author mean. I have even found a machine translation on the web which was very funny but unusable - the verse was translated as "advanced Australian market"
Could perhaps some of the AuE speakers help me out?
Thank you in advance.

 

[lucas-sp]

Does it make more sense as "Advance Fair Australia"? Basically the song is saying "[Let us join together to] keep our beautiful Australia progressing forward." Sometimes in English the adjective can follow the noun it modifies.

 

[Pertinax]

I agree with lucas-sp. We take "fair" is an adjective; the normal word-order was reversed for the sake of the rhythm. That is supported by a line in Verse 4 of the original 1878 lyrics "Her sons in fair Australia's land".

I agree too that that it is "fair" in the sense of "beautiful" or "wonderful"; not in the sense of "fair-skinned", a kind of racist call to arms to keep Australia white.

My son regrets that "fair" was not meant as a noun. He likes the idea of fashioning Australia as a gigantic playground.

 

[Garin]

Thank you, lucas-sp and Pertinax, it was the reversed order that confused me. Now it is clear.

 

[keentoknow]

Very interesting, thank you!