Guatemala
Himno Nacional de Guatemala
National Anthem of Guatemala
1896
1897
Jose Joaquin Palma
Rafael Alvarez Ovalle
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Key Facts
- 1. The anthem's melody is written in an operatic Italian style, reflecting the strong European classical influence on Latin American music in the late 19th century.
- 2. Guatemalan schoolchildren are required to memorize and sing the anthem as part of the national curriculum, and anthem-singing competitions are held annually in schools across the country.
- 3. The quetzal bird referenced in Guatemala's national imagery (and currency) is so central to Guatemalan identity that harming one carries a prison sentence, yet the anthem itself never directly names the bird.
Lyrics
[Coro]
Guatemala feliz...! que tus aras
No profane jamas el verdugo;
Ni haya esclavos que laman el yugo
Ni tiranos que escupan tu faz.
Si manana tu suelo sagrado
Lo amenaza invasion extranjera,
Libre al viento tu hermosa bandera
A vencer o a morir llamara.
[Coro]
De tus viejas y duras cadenas
Tu forjaste con mano iracunda,
El arado que el suelo fecunda
Y la espada que salva el honor.
Nuestros padres lucharon un dia
Encendidos en patrio ardimiento,
Y lograron sin choque sangriento
Colocarte en un trono de amor.
[Coro]
Y lograron sin choque sangriento
Colocarte en un trono de amor,
Que de patria en enérgico acento
Dieron vida al ideal redentor.
Es tu ensena pedazo de cielo
En que prende una nube su albura,
Y, iay de aquel que con ciega locura!
Sus colores pretenda manchar!
[Coro]
Pues tus hijos valientes y altivos,
Que veneran la paz cual presea,
Nunca esquivan la ruda pelea
Si defienden su tierra y su hogar.
Ni explotar ambicioso codicia,
Ni el verdugo servir al tirano;
Solo anhelan con fervido anhelo
Libertad, Libertad en su afan.
[Coro]
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,
Parapetada en tus ricas montanas,
Con sus alas te arropa y defiende
Y protege tu suelo feraz.
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialThe lyrics were written by Cuban poet Jose Joaquin Palma, who was living in exile in Guatemala, and the music was composed by Rafael Alvarez Ovalle. The anthem was adopted in 1897 after a national competition. Palma initially kept his authorship secret, and it was only revealed years later that the Cuban exile had penned Guatemala's most patriotic verses.