The National Anthem of Colombia was adopted as the de facto anthem in 1920, and then de jure in 1995. Rafael Núñez wrote the lyrics and Oreste Sindic composed the music in 1887.[1][2][3]
Lyrics[]
Himno Nacional de la República de Colombia
Spanish original[]
¡Oh, gloria inmarcesible!
¡Oh, júbilo inmortal!
¡En surcos de dolores
El bien germina ya!
¡Cesó la horrible noche!
La libertad sublime
Derrama las auroras
De su invencible luz.
La humanidad entera,
Que entre cadenas gime,
Comprende las palabras
Del que murió en la cruz.
¡Independencia! grita
El mundo americano;
Se baña en sangre de héroes
La tierra de Colón.
Pero este gran principio:
«El rey no es soberano»,
Resuena, y los que sufren
Bendicen su pasión.
Del Orinoco el cauce
Se colma de despojos;
De sangre y llanto un río
Se mira allí correr.
En Bárbula no saben
Las almas ni los ojos
Si admiración o espanto
Sentir o padecer.
A orillas del Caribe
Hambriento un pueblo lucha,
Horrores prefiriendo
A pérfida salud.
¡Oh sí! de Cartagena
La abnegación es mucha,
Y escombros de la muerte
Desprecian su virtud.
De Boyacá en los campos
El genio de la gloria
Con cada espiga un héroe
Invicto coronó.
Soldados sin coraza
Ganaron la victoria;
Su varonil aliento
De escudo les sirvió.
Bolívar cruza el Ande
Que riega dos océanos;
Espadas cual centellas
Fulguran en Junín.
Centauros indomables
Descienden a los llanos,
Y empieza a presentirse
De la epopeya el fin.
La trompa victoriosa
Que en Ayacucho truena,
En cada triunfo crece
Su formidable son.
En su expansivo empuje
La libertad se estrena,
Del cielo americano
Formando un pabellón.
La Virgen sus cabellos
Arranca en agonía
Y de su amor viuda
Los cuelga del ciprés.
Lamenta su esperanza
Que cubre losa fría,
Pero glorioso orgullo
Circunda su alba tez.
La Patria así se forma,
termópilas brotando;
Constelación de cíclopes
Su noche iluminó.
La flor estremecida,
Mortal el viento hallando,
Debajo los laureles
Seguridad buscó.
Mas no es completa gloria
Vencer en la batalla,
Que al brazo que combate
Lo anima la verdad.
La independencia sola
El gran clamor no acalla;
Si el sol alumbra a todos,
Justicia es libertad.
Del hombre los derechos
Nariño predicando,
El alma de la lucha
Profético enseñó.
Ricaurte en San Mateo
En átomos volando,
«Deber antes que vida»,
Con llamas escribió.
English translation[]
Oh, unwithering glory!
Oh, immortal jubilance!
In furrows of pain,
goodness now germinates.
The dreadful night has ceased.
Sublime Liberty
beams forth the dawn
of her invincible light.
All of humanity
that groans within its chains,
understands the words
of He who died on the cross.
"Independence!" shouts
the American world;
The land of Columbus.
Is bathed in heroes' blood.
But this great doctrine;
"The king is not the sovereign",
resounds, and those who suffer
bless their passion.
The Orinoco's bed
Is heaped with plunder,
Of blood and tears
A river is seen to flow.
In Bárbula
neither souls nor eyes,
know whether admiration to feel
or fear to suffer.
On the shores of the Caribbean,
a famished people fight,
preferring horror
to fickle health.
O, aye! from Cartagena
heavy is the hardship,
and death's rubble her virtue disdains
From Boyacá in the fields,
the genius of glory,
from every sprig a hero
was crowned undefeated.
Soldiers without armor
won the victory;
their virile spirit
served them as a shield.
Bolívar crosses the Andes
bathed by two oceans,
swords as though sparks
flash in Junín.
Indomitable centaurs
descend to the plains,
and a premonition begins to be felt,
of the epic's end.
The victorious trumpet
in Ayacucho loudly thunders,
as in every triumph grows
its formidable sound.
In its expansive thrust
Liberty is first felt,
from the American sky
forming a pavilion.
In agony, the Virgin
Tears out her hair,
and bereft of her love,
leaves it to hang on a cypress.
Regretting her hope
covered by a cold headstone,
but glorious pride
hallows her fair skin.
Thus the motherland is formed,
Thermopylaes bursting forth;
a constellation of cyclops
the night did brighten.
The trembling flower
finding the wind mortal,
underneath the laurels
safety sought.
But it's not complete glory
to defeat in battle,
the arm that fights
is encouraged by truth.
For independence alone
The great clamour doesn't silence;
if the sun shines on everyone,
justice is liberty.
Of men the rights
Nariño's preaching,
the soul of struggle
was prophetically taught.
Ricaurte in San Mateo,
in atoms flying,
"Duty before life,"
with flames he wrote.
Extra verse during the 1932–34 border conflict[]
During the border conflict with Peru between 1932 and 1934, the soldiers who defended Colombia's national sovereignty added a new verse after the trumpet fanfare, but shortly fell into disuse.[4]
Spanish original[]
Hoy que la madre patria se halla herida,
Hoy que debemos todos combatir, combatir,
Demos por ella nuestra vida
Que morir por la patria no es morir, es vivir.
English translation[]
Now when the motherland is wounded,
Now when we must all fight, fight,
Let us give our life for her,
Because to die for one's country is not to die, but to live.
This line is quite similar to the last line in the first stanza of "La Bayamesa" which goes, "¡Que morir por la patria es vivir!" (For to die for the homeland is to live!). Elementary students in the 1930s were taught this extra stanza, according to José Antonio Amaya.[5]
References[]
- ↑ http://nationalanthems.me/colombia-himno-nacional-de-la-republica-de-colombia-oh-gloria-inmarcesible
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20140326234542/http://web.presidencia.gov.co/asiescolombia/simbolos1.htm
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20120314115926/http://www.cntv.org.co/cntv_bop/basedoc/ley/1920/ley_0033_1920.html
- ↑ http://www.archivosonoro.org/?id=75
- ↑ http://www.eltiempo.com/archivo/documento/MAM-3340627