National Anthem of Honduras

The "National Anthem of Honduras" (Template:Langx) was adopted by presidential decree 42 in 1915. The lyrics were written by Augusto C. Coello and the music composed by Carlos Hartling.

Unofficially, the anthem is sometimes called "Template:Lang" ("Your flag is a splendour of sky"), which is in the first line of the chorus.

History

Between independence from Spain in 1821 and 1915, Honduras did not have an official national anthem and used various unofficial anthems such as "Template:Lang" (by Rómulo E. Durón), "Template:Lang", "Template:Lang" (of unknown authorship), "Template:Lang" (by Valentín Durón), "Template:Lang Gerardo Barrios" (by Belgian author Coussin, used during the presidency of José María Medina) and the "Template:Lang".<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1904, a group of intellectuals proposed to President Manuel Bonilla a competition to find a national anthem,<ref name=":0" /> but a competition was not held until 1910 with Decree No. 115,<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> during the presidency of Miguel Rafael Dávila Cuéllar, at the initiative of deputies Rómulo E. Durón and Ramón Valladares. This competition was declared void in 1912, because the ten works presented did not meet the requirements.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Later, a competition was held in which those who competed included Valentín Durón, Santos B. Tercero, Jerónimo Reyna, Juan Ramón Molina and Template:Interlanguage link. The works were published in the Template:Lang. The competition was won by a poem titled "Template:Lang" or "Template:Lang", by writer Augusto C. Coello. German-born composer Carlos Hartling was commissioned to compose the music for the anthem, which he did in 1903, although he had previously written scores for the anthem while lyrics were not available.<ref name=":0" />

The anthem was made official on 13 November 1915 with Decree No. 42 by President Template:Interlanguage link,<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which was published in Gazette No. 4 529 of 15 January 1916 and approved by decree number 34 of 23 January 1917. It was first performed at the Guadalupe Reyes School in Tegucigalpa on 15 September 1915, and performances in official functions began in 1917,<ref name=":0" /> the first of which was a performance at the Template:Lang in Comayagüela.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> An official explanation of the anthem by Gualberto Cantarero Palacios was later published by the Ministry of Public Education.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Lyrics

In its entirety, the anthem is a brief chronology of Honduran history. The anthem consists of the chorus and seven verses. For official functions and school exercises, only the chorus and seventh verse are sung, which was ordered in the late 1920s by minister Presentacion Centeno during the presidency of Miguel Paz Barahona.<ref name=":0" /> During sport events where brevity is essential, a shorter, abridged version is performed which usually consists of only one repeat of the chorus and a section of the verse.

The chorus, which is sung before and after the seventh verse, is a description of Honduras's chief national symbols, the flag and the coat of arms. The seventh verse is a patriotic call to duty to Hondurans to defend the flag and the nation.<ref name=":0" />

By the time Hondurans complete their sixth year of elementary education, they will have memorised and been taught the meaning of the chorus and all seven stanzas. For graduations in middle school, high school, university or another type of graduation, an exam will be done based on a questionnaire of the National Anthem.

Short version

Spanish original<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Cartilla">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Turisticas">Template:Cite book</ref>

English translation

<poem>Template:Lang</poem>

<poem>Template:Small Your flag, your flag is a splendour of sky Crossed by a block, by a block of snow; And seen on its sacred background Are five stars of pale blue; On your emblem, which a roaring sea Shields with its rough waves, Behind the bare summit of a volcano, of a volcano, There is a star, there is a star of clear light. VII To keep that divine emblem, Let us march, oh fatherland, to death, Generous will be our fate, If we die thinking of your love. Defending your holy flag And covered in your glorious folds, There will be many, Honduras, of your dead, But all will fall with honour. Template:Yesitalic</poem>

Full lyrics

Spanish original<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Cartilla" /><ref name="Turisticas" />

English translation

<poem>Template:Lang</poem>

<poem>Template:Small Your flag, your flag is a splendour of sky Crossed by a block, by a block of snow; And seen on its sacred background Are five stars of pale blue; On your emblem, which a roaring sea Shields with its rough waves, Behind the bare summit of a volcano, of a volcano, There is a star, there is a star of clear light. I A virgin and beautiful Indian, you were sleeping To the resonant song of your seas, When thrown into your basins of gold The bold navigator found you; And looking at your beauty, ecstatic At the ideal influence of your charm, The blue hem of your splendid mantle He consecrated with his kiss of love. II From a country where the sun rises, Beyond the blue Atlantean, That man had dreamt of you And in search of you launched himself into the sea. When you raised your pale forehead, In the lively anxiety of your longing, Under the gentle dome of your sky A foreign banner was already floating. III It was useless that the Indian, your beloved, Prepare to fight with ire, Because, enveloped in his blood, Lempira Sank into the deep night; And of the epic feat, in memory, The legend alone has kept From a tomb the unknown place And the harsh profile of a crag. IV For three centuries your children listened To the imperative mandate of the master; For three centuries your useless complaint Was lost in the blue atmosphere; But one glorious day your ear Perceived, powerful and distant, That far away, over the Atlante, A Lion roared indignantly. V It was France, the free, the heroic, That in her sleep of centuries asleep Awoke angry to life At the virile complaint of Danton: It was France, that sent to death The head of the consecrated King, And that raised proud at his side, The altar of the goddess reason. VI You too, oh my fatherland!, arose From your servile and deep sleep; You also taught the world The infamous shattered link. And in your blessed soil, behind the tall Hair of the wild jungle, Like a bird of black plumage, The fleeting colony was lost. VII To keep that divine emblem, Let us march, oh fatherland, to death, Generous will be our fate, If we die thinking of your love. Defending your holy flag And covered in your glorious folds, There will be many, Honduras, of your dead, But all will fall with honour. Template:Yesitalic</poem>

See also

• Flag of Honduras
• Coat of arms of Honduras
• Template:Portal-inline

External links

• Honduras: Himno Nacional de Honduras - Audio of the national anthem of Honduras, with information and lyrics (archive link)