Guatemala National Anthem: English Translation, Original Lyrics And History
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| What Is The Guatemala National Anthem: English Translation, Original Lyrics And History. Photo: Wikipedia |
The national anthem of Guatemala was written by Cuban poet José Joaquín Palma and composed by Rafael Álvarez Ovalle in 1897, on the occasion of the Exposición Centroamericana by the government of General José María Reina Barrios.
Lyricist "Anonymous" appears in the credits of the premiere publication of the lyrics and score in La Ilustración Guatemalteca, a magazine dedicated to Guatemalan culture. In 1910, when he was near death, Cuban poet and politician José Joaqun Palma denied any involvement in the work.
In 1934, President General Jorge Ubico had pedagogue José Mara Bonilla Ruano alter the lyrics of the song because they were too militaristic and seemed to celebrate Cuba's independence battle more than Central America's. Palma had been an active participant in the Cuban War of Independence.
Despite the fact that its opening words have led to its misidentification as "Guatemala Feliz!," the national anthem of Guatemala is simply known as "Himno Nacional" within the country.
Here are the anthem’s history, original lyrics and English translation.
History of Guatemala National Anthem
The El Porvenir Literary Society made a futile effort to compose a national song for Guatemala in 1879. When poet Ramón P. Molina penned the lyrics of Guatemala's "National Anthem," the country's president at the time, General Manuel Lisandro Barillas Bercián, held a contest to select the tune that would best accompany the lyrics. Numerous well-known composers entered the contest, but Rafael lvarez Ovalle's entry ultimately received first place.
Competition organised by Reina Barrios
General José Mara Reina Barrios' government issued a new competition call in 1896 because "Guatemala lacks a National Anthem, since the one known to this day by that name not only suffers from notable defects, but also has not been officially declared as such; and that it is convenient to provide the country with an anthem that, through its lyrics and music, responds to the lofty purposes for which all educated people lend this kind of composition." Once again, Rafael lvarez Ovalle's entry was selected for this competition; this time, he set an anonymous poet's verse to music.
Teacher lvarez Ovalle's bitterest days came after he was allowed another triumph; the losers were unhappy with the results and complained to the president. After a second listening of all the pieces that competed in the competition, held in the presence of members of his cabinet, other figures, and instructors of musical art, Reina Barrios once again chose lvarez Ovalle's work.
Here is what the judges decided about the song's lyrics:
October 27th, 1896 in Guatemala. Sir, you have my respect as the Minister of Education. Present.
We have reviewed the twelve compositions that you were kind enough to send us on the 15th with such an aim because of the honorable commission with which you favored us, taking charge of the qualification of the "national anthems" presented to this secretariat by virtue of the competition opened by the agreement of the 24th of last July. We have met several times, encouraged by good wishes, in order to make the appointment required by the aforementioned agreement, and after a thorough review, we have the honor to inform you that the anthem that begins with the words Guatemala feliz and carries at the bottom the lyrics of "Anonymous" in parentheses is, in our opinion, the one that best responds to the conditions of the call and, as such, deserves the prize offered. Minister, highly attentive and dependable servants, it is with great pride that we present the report required by the secretariat of your esteemed post.
José Leonard, J. J. Palma, F. Castañeda."
— Text of the report submitted by the qualifying jury of the literary competition, made up of F. Castañeda, J. Joaquín Palma and José Leonard.
As can be seen, Cuban poet José Joaquín Palma was a member of the qualifying jury.
The poems by Palma were officially recognized on October 28, 1896, while the music by lvarez Ovalle was adopted on February 19, 1897. In the evening of Sunday, March 14, 1897, the National Anthem was performed for the first time as part of the Exposición Centroamericana's literary lyrical act, for which lvarez Ovalle received a gold medal and a diploma of honor.
Palma confesses to being the author
When Cuban artist José Joaqun Palma admitted on his deathbed that he had written the lyrics to the Guatemalan national anthem, the mystery surrounding the anthem's creator was finally solved in 1910. At the annual Fiestas Minervalias celebration, the administration of Manuel Estrada Cabrera presented him and Rafael lvarez Ovalle with gold laurel wreaths.
Spanish Lyrics of The Guatemala National Anthem
1. ¡Guatemala feliz! que tus aras
No profane jamás el verdugo;
Ni haya esclavos que laman el yugo
Ni tiranos que escupan tu faz.
Si mañana tu suelo sagrado
Lo amenaza invasión extranjera,
Libre al viento tu hermosa bandera
A vencer o a morir llamará.
CHORUS:
Libre al viento tu hermosa bandera
A vencer o a morir llamará.
Que tu pueblo con ánima fiera
Antes muerto que esclavo será.
2. De tus viejas y duras cadenas
Tú forjaste con mano iracunda
El arado que el suelo fecunda
Y la espada que salva el honor.
Nuestros padres lucharon un día
Encendidos en patrio ardimiento
Y lograron sin choque sangriento
Colocarte en un trono de amor,
CHORUS:
Y lograron sin choque sangriento
Colocarte en un trono de amor,
Que de patria, en enérgico acento,
Dieron vida al ideal redentor.
3. Es tu enseña pedazo de cielo
En que prende una nube su albura,
Y ay de aquel que con ciega locura,
Sus colores pretenda manchar!
Pues tus hijos valientes y altivos,
Que veneran la paz cual presea,
Nunca esquivan la ruda pelea
Si defienden su tierra y su hogar,
CHORUS:
Nunca esquivan la ruda pelea
Si defienden su tierra y su hogar,
Que es tan sólo el honor su alma idea
Y el altar de la patria su altar.
4. Recostada en el ande soberbio,
De dos mares al ruido sonoro,
Bajo el ala de grana y de oro
Te adormeces del bello quetzal.
Ave indiana que vive en tu escudo
Paladión que protege tu suelo;
¡Ojalá que remonte su vuelo,
Más que el cóndor y el águila real
CHORUS:
¡Ojalá que remonte su vuelo,
Más que el cóndor y el águila real
Y en sus alas levante hasta el cielo,
Guatemala, tu nombre inmortal!
The Guatemala National Anthem in English Translation
1. Fortunate Guatemala! May your altars
Never be profaned by cruel men.
May there never be slaves who submit to their yoke,
Or tyrants who deride you.
If tomorrow your sacred soil
Should be threatened by foreign invasion,
Your fair flag, flying freely in the wind,
Will call to you: Conquer or die.
CHORUS:
Your fair flag, flying freely in the wind,
Will call to you: Conquer or die;
For your people, with heart and soul,
Would prefer death to slavery.
2. From your old and hard chains
You forged, with an ire-driven hand,
The plow that fertilizes the soil
And the sword that saves honor.
Our fathers fought one day,
Lit up in patriotic burning
And they were able, without bloody clash,
To place you on a throne of love.
CHORUS:
And they were able, without bloody clash,
To place you on a throne of love,
That our Nation, in energetic assent,
Gave life to the ideal redeemer.
3. Your emblem shows a piece of the sky
In which a cloud gets its whiteness
Wretched is he who dares in madness
stain your colors
Well, your brave and proud sons
who admire the peace within
will never avoid the rough battles
if they are to defend their land and their home.
CHORUS:
They will never avoid the rough battles
if they are to defend their land and their home
that honor is the idea that reigns their souls
and the altar of the mother country their altar
4. Lying in the magnificent Andes
with two oceans at hearing distance
under the wing of seeds and gold
you become entranced from the beautiful quetzal
Native bird that lives in your seal
protector that protects your soil
hopefully he will fly high
more than the condor and the royal eagle!
CHORUS:
Hopefully he will fly high
more than the condor and the royal eagle
and in his wings, raise up to the sky:
Guatemala, your immortal name!
Lyric videos of Guatemala National Anthem
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