Guyana National Anthem
Dear Land of Guyana, of Rivers and Plains
1966
1966
Archibald Leonard Luker
Robert Cyril Gladstone Potter
🌿 Nature 🌈 Diversity 🕊 Freedom 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage ✝ God / Faith |
Key Facts
- 1. Guyana is the only English-speaking sovereign nation in South America, a legacy of British colonial rule
- 2. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name 'Guyana' comes from an Amerindian word meaning 'land of many waters'; the anthem opens with 'Dear land of Guyana, of rivers and plains'
- 3. The third stanza calls Guyana 'One land of six peoples, united and free', the six traditionally being the African, Indian, Chinese, Portuguese, British and Amerindian communities
- 4. The words and the music were chosen in two separate contests: 266 entries were submitted for the lyrics, and the tune was picked by a committee of a hundred people who heard the entries by number, without knowing who had composed them
Guyana National Anthem Lyrics
Dear land of Guyana, of rivers and plains
made rich by the sunshine and lush by the rains;
Set gem-like and fair, between mountains and sea,
Your children salute you, dear land of the free.
Green land of Guyana, our heroes of yore,
Both bondsmen and free, laid their bones on your shore;
This soil they so hallowed, and from them are we,
All sons of one mother, Guyana the free.
Great land of Guyana, diverse though our strains,
We are born of their sacrifice, heirs of their pains,
And ours is the glory their eyes did not see –
One land of six peoples, united and free.
Dear land of Guyana, to you will we give
our homage, our service, each day that we live;
God guard you, great Mother, and make us to be
More worthy our heritage – land of the free.
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialWritten by Archibald Leonard Luker with music by Robert Cyril Gladstone Potter, the anthem was chosen shortly before Guyana's independence from the United Kingdom on May 26, 1966. Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America. The anthem celebrates the country's natural beauty and diverse heritage.
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Sources & References
- Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana Act, Cap. 1:01 (Article 6 and Second Schedule), L.R.O. 1/2012 . Parliament of Guyana (2012)
- National Anthem . Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Fact Page on Guyana
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