Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean (קָלֹמְבִּיָּה! צִיץ נֵֽזֶר הַיָּם) or The Red, White and Blue (אָדוֹם, לָבָן וּתְֿכֵֽלֶת) by Thomas A'Becket, Sr. (ca. 1843)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=62722

Date: 2025-07-03

Last Updated: 2025-07-03

Categories: 🇺🇸 Flag Day (June 14), 🇺🇸 Independence Day (July 4th)

Tags: 19th century C.E., 57th century A.M., anti-fascist, Patriotic hymns

Excerpt: “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean” (originally “Columbia, the Land of the Brave”) was an American patriotic song popular in the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Adapted by Thomas A’Becket, Sr. around 1843 from the British patriotic song “Britannia, the Pride of the Ocean”, Columbia was long used as an unofficial national anthem of the United States, in competition with other songs. . . .

Content:

Source (English)	Translation (Hebrew)
O Columbia! the gem of the ocean, The home of the brave and the free, The shrine of each patriot’s devotion, A world offers homage to thee, Thy mandates make heroes assemble, When Liberty’s form stands in view, Thy banners make tyranny tremble, When borne by the red, white and blue.	קָלֹמְבִּיָּה! צִיץ נֵֽזֶר הַיָּם, לְחוֹרִים גִבּוֹרִים אַתְּ אֵם עֲדִינָה, אֲרוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ לְלֻחוֹת חֵרוּת עָם, עֹז לָךְ תִּתֵּן כָּל אֶֽרֶץ וּמְדִינָה, לִדְֿבָרַֽיִךְ גִּבֹּרִים יֶחֱרָֽדוּ, בְּסֵֽמֶל הַָדְּֿרוֹר עֵת אַתְּ דּוֹגֶֽלֶת, מִדְּֿגָלַֽיִךְ עָרִיצִים יִרְעָֽדוּ בְּהִתְנוֹסֵס אָדוֹם, לָבָן וּתְֿכֵֽלֶת,
Chorus: When borne by the red, white and blue, When borne by the red, white and blue, Thy banners make tyranny tremble. When borne by the red, white and blue	מַקְהֵלָה׃ בְּהִתְנוֹסֵס אָדוֹם, לָבָן וּתְֿכֵֽלֶת, כִּנְֿשׂוֹא נֵס אָדוֹם, לָבָן וּתְֿכֵֽלֶת, עָרִיצִים יִפְחָֽדוּ וְיִרְעָֽדוּ, כִּנְֿשׂוֹא נֵס אָדוֹם, לָבָן וּתְֿכֵֽלֶת
When war winged it wide desolation, And threatened the land to deform, The ark then of freedom’s foundation, Columbia, rode safe thro’ the storm; With her garlands of vict’ry around her, When so proudly she bore her brave crew, With her flag proudly floating before her, The boast of the red, white and blue   Chorus: When borne by the red, white and blue…	בִּפְֿרֽוֹעַ פְּרָעוֹת, בַּעֲבוֹר מִלְחָמָה כְּסוּפָה בְאַרְצֵֽנוּ לְעַוֵּת פָּנֶֽיה, קָלֹמְבִּיָּה זוּ אֳנִיָּה רֻחָמָה, עָבְֿרָה בֶֽטַח חַזְקוּ כֵן תֶָרְנֶיהָ; זֵר נִצָחוֹן בְּרֹאשׁ חִבֵּל עֲטֶֽרֶת, גִּבּוֹרֵי חֵילָהּ בְּגָאוֹן מוֹבֶֽלֶת, וְעָלֶֽיהָ יוֹפַע נֵס הַתִּפְאֶֽרֶת בִּשְֿׁלַל צְבָעִים, אַדוֹם לָבֵָן וּתְֿכֵֽלֶת.   מַקְהֵלָה׃ בְּהִתְנוֹסֵס אָדוֹם וכ׳ו
The winecup, the winecup bring hither, And fill you it true to the brim, May the wreaths they have won never wither, Nor the star of their glory grow dim! May the service united ne’er sever, But they to their colors prove true! The Army and Navy forever Three cheers for the red, white and blue   Chorus: When borne by the red, white and blue…	שְׂאוּ כּוֹס יְשׁוּעוֹת, יַֽיִן הַמְּֿשַׂמֵּֽחַ, וּבָרְֿכוּ צְבָאֵֽנוּ בְּנֵי הֶחָֽיִל, יְהִי כְבוֹדָם חָדָשׁ לָעַד פּוֹרֵֽחַ, זִיז תִּפְאַרְתָּם לֹא יוּעַם בַּלָּֽיִל! וִיהִי לָעַד לְבָבָם זֶה אַחַד, וּמַחֲנֶה אַחַת בְּשֵׁם דְּרוֹר דּוֹגֶֽלֶת! חֵיל הַיּבָּשָׁה וְהַיָּם גַּם יַֽחַד אִישׁ עַל דִּגְלוֹ אָדוֹם, לָבָן וּתְֿכֵֽלֶת.   מַקְהֵלָה׃ בְּהִתְנוֹסֵס אָדוֹם וכ׳ו

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“Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean” (originally “Columbia, the Land of the Brave”) was an American patriotic song popular in the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Adapted by Thomas A’Becket, Sr. around 1843 from the British patriotic song “Britannia, the Pride of the Ocean”, Columbia was long used as an unofficial national anthem of the United States. Gershon Rosenzweig’s Hebrew translation of the poem, קָלֹמְבִּיָּה! צִיץ נֵֽזֶר הַיָּם, (1898), was transcribed from that found in Joseph Magil’s 1903 collection of patriotic hymns, קֹֽבֶץ שִירֵי־צִיּוֹן וְשִׁירֵי־עָם, pp. 132-135.

Source(s)

 

Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
  Bio: Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)
  Website: https://aharon.varady.net
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/aharon-varady-transcription
• 
  Name: Gershon Rosenzweig (translation)
  Bio: Gerson Rosenzweig (Yiddish: גרשׁון ראזענצװױג) (1861–1914), born in Białystok, was a Russian-American editor, author, and poet. He is best known for his Hebrew- and Yiddish-language satires, poems, and epigrams. He received his education in Berlin, Kraków, and other cities of the Russian Empire. He conducted a Hebrew school in Suwałki, Russian Poland, before emigrating to the United States in 1888. After settling in New York City, Rosenzweig became joint editor of the Yidishes tageblatt ('Jewish Daily News'), Yidishe gazetten ('Jewish Gazette'), and Idishe velt ('Jewish World'), a position he held until 1905. He edited and published a weekly, Ha-Ivri ('The Hebrew'), from 1891 to 1898, a monthly, Kadimah ('Forward'), from 1898 to 1902, and Ha-Devorah from 1911 to 1912. He also contributed to the leading Hebrew and Yiddish papers of his time. Rosenzweig's "masterpiece" was Massekhet Amerika, published by A. Ginsberg in New York in 1891 and by the Romm publishing house in Vilna in 1894. It was later included in his 1907 book Talmud Yankaʼi ('The Yankee Talmud'). The popular satire, written in the style of a Talmudic tractate, critiques the social conditions in New York's immigrant Jewish community. Portions of the work were printed in translation in The Sun and other New York papers. He published several works of poetry. These include Shirim u-meshalim (New York, 1893), a volume of poetry; Ḥamishah ve-elef mikhtamim mekoriyim (New York, 1903), a collection of 1,005 of his Hebrew epigrams and poems; and Mi-zimrat ha-aretz (1898), Hebrew translations of American national songs.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerson_Rosenzweig
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/gershon-rosenzweig
• 
  Name: Thomas A'Becket, Sr.
  Bio: Thomas a'Becket (March 17, 1808 – January 6, 1890), born in Chatham, Kent, England, was an actor and musician credited with writing the music and the words, in 1843, to "Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean." Becket travelled to the United States in 1837 and spent much of his life in Philadelphia. During his early years in the United States, he gave music lessons and sang in operas. At one time, he served as the stage manager of the actor Edwin Forrest and for many years was the director of the Walnut Street Theatre, in Philadelphia, where he also had a long acting career.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_A%27Becket_(composer)
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/thomas-abecket-sr

Featured Image:

Title: They Shall Not Perish (American Committee for Relief in the Near East 1918)
Caption: A personification of Columbia from the poster "They Shall Not Perish" (American Committee for Relief in the Near East 1918)