National Anthem Comparison
Chile vs Peru
2
Shared themes
✗
Different moods
2
2 years apart
✓
Same continent
Comparison Analysis
Chile and Peru, both South America nations, take distinct approaches to their national anthems. Chile's "National Anthem of Chile" was written in 1819, while Peru's "National Anthem of Peru" dates to 1821.
Both anthems share themes of Freedom and Battle / War. Chile additionally explores Nature and God / Faith, while Peru also touches on Independence and Revolution.
The emotional tones differ: Chile's anthem is Majestic, while Peru's is Defiant.
Chile changed its national anthem in 1941, reflecting a shift in the nation's identity or political landscape.
Shared themes
Chile
🕊 Freedom 🌿 Nature ⚔ Battle / War ✝ God / Faith
Peru
🕊 Freedom 🗽 Independence ⚔ Battle / War 🔥 Revolution
Shared themes:
🕊 Freedom ⚔ Battle / War
Metadata
| Chile | Peru | |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 1819 | 1821 |
| Adopted | 1941 | 1821 |
| Lyricist | Eusebio Lillo | Jose de la Torre Ugarte |
| Composer | Ramon Carnicer | Jose Bernardo Alcedo |
| Language | es | es |
| Region | South America | South America |
Lyrics Side by Side
Chile
Himno Nacional de Chile
Original
Puro, Chile, es tu cielo azulado;
Puras brisas te cruzan también.
Y tu campo de flores bordado
Es la copia feliz del Edén.
Majestuosa es la blanca montaña
Que te dio por baluarte el Señor,
Y ese mar que tranquilo te baña
Te promete futuro esplendor.
Translation
Pure, Chile, is your blue sky;
Pure breezes cross you too.
And your field embroidered with flowers
Is a happy copy of Eden.
Majestic is the white mountain
That God gave you as a bulwark,
And that sea which peacefully bathes you
Promises you future splendor.
Peru
Himno Nacional del Peru
Original
[Coro]
Somos libres, seámoslo siempre,
Seámoslo siempre,
Y antes niegue sus luces el sol,
Que faltemos al voto solemne
Que la patria al Eterno elevó.
Largo tiempo el peruano oprimido
La ominosa cadena arrastró;
Condenado a una cruel servidumbre,
Largo tiempo en silencio gimió.
Mas apenas el grito sagrado
¡Libertad! En sus costas se oyó,
La indolencia de esclavo sacude,
La humillada cerviz levantó.
Translation
[Chorus]
We are free, let us always be so,
Let us always be so,
And let the sun sooner deny its light
Than that we fail the solemn vow
That the homeland raised to the Eternal.
For a long time the oppressed Peruvian
Dragged the ominous chain;
Condemned to a cruel servitude,
For a long time he groaned in silence.
But as soon as the sacred cry of
Freedom! Was heard on its shores,
He shook off the indolence of the slave,
And raised his humiliated head.
Interesting facts
Chile
- 1. The original lyrics were so anti-Spanish that they were replaced in 1847 to avoid diplomatic tensions with Spain
- 2. Ironically, the music was composed by a Spaniard, Ramon Carnicer, who was living in exile in London at the time
- 3. Only one verse and the chorus of the full poem are performed today, but the verse about Chile's landscapes is among the most poetic of any national anthem
Peru
- 1. The original manuscript of the anthem's score was lost for decades and only rediscovered in the National Library of Peru in the early 20th century.
- 2. Peru's anthem originally had six stanzas with graphic descriptions of battle violence; the lyrics were toned down in an official 2009 revision by the Constitutional Tribunal.
- 3. The opening words 'Somos libres' (We are free) have become such an iconic national catchphrase that they appear on Peruvian coins, murals, and protest banners alike.
Listen
Chile
Peru
