Himno Nacional Mexicano.
Mexicanos, al grito de guerra
El acero aprestad y el bridón,
Y retiemble en sus centros la tierra
Al sonoro rugir del cañón.
Y retiemble en sus centros la tierra
Al sonoro rugir del cañón.
Mexicans, at the cry of battle
prepare the steel and the bridle;
and let the earth tremble at its core
at the sonorous cannon's roar.
And let the earth tremble at its core
at the sonorous cannon's roar.
Ciña ¡oh Patria! tus sienes de oliva
De la paz el arcángel divino,
Que en el cielo tu eterno destino,
Por el dedo de Dios se escribió;
Mas si osare un extraño enemigo,
Profanar con su planta tu suelo,
Piensa ¡oh Patria querida! que el cielo
Un soldado en cada hijo te dio,
Un soldado en cada hijo te dio.
O Fatherland your forehead
shall be girded with the olive garlands
of peace by the divine Archangel,
for in heaven your eternal destiny
has been written by the finger of God.
But should a foreign enemy dare to
profane your land with his footstep,
know, beloved Fatherland, that heaven
gave you a soldier in every son.
Gave you a soldier in every son.
Guerra, guerra sin tregua al que intente
De la patria manchar los blasones!
Guerra, guerra! Los patrios pendones
En las olas de sangre empapad.
Guerra, guerra! En el monte, en el valle
Los cañones horrísonos truenen
Y los ecos sonoros resuenen
Con las voces de Unión! Libertad!
War, truceless war against those
who would attempt to blemish our heraldry!
War, war! The patriotic banners
soak in waves of blood.
War, war! On the mountain, in the valley
The terrifying cannon thunder
and their echoes nobly resound
to the cries of Union! liberty!
Antes, patria,
que inermes tus hijos
Bajo el yugo su cuello dobleguen,
Tus campiñas con sangre se rieguen,
Sobre sangre se estampe su pie.
Y tus templos, palacios y torres
Se derrumben con hórrido estruendo,
Y sus ruinas existan diciendo:
De mil héroes la patria aquí fue.
Fatherland, before your children go
Beneath the yoke, their necks in sway,
May your countryside be watered with blood,
On blood their feet trample.
And may your temples, palaces and towers
crumble in a horrid crash,
and their ruins exist saying:
The Fatherland was made
of one thousand heroes here.
¡Patria! ¡Patria! tus hijos te juran
Exhalar en tus aras su aliento,
Si el clarín con su bélico acento,
Los convoca a lidiar con valor:
¡Para ti las guirnaldas de oliva!
¡Un recuerdo para ellos de gloria!
¡Un laurel para ti de victoria!
¡Un sepulcro para ellos de honor!
¡Un sepulcro para ellos de honor!
Fatherland, Fatherland, your sons vow
To give their last breath on your altars,
If the trumpet with its warlike tone
Calls them to valorous battle.
For you, the garlands of olive,
For them, a glorious memory.
For you, the victory laurels,
For them, an honoured tomb.
For them, an honoured tomb.
Lyrics - Francisco González Bocanegra
Music - Jaime Nunó
11 comments:
Wasn't it General Philip Sheridan who said the only good Indian was a dead Indian?
It is just to give some insight on the upcoming events of May 1.
Well, that's a nice piece but does it have a beat that you can dance to?
I have a sneaking suspicion that the Internationale might be printed on the other side of this when they pass it out on MayDay.
Let's see, as a robotic Rethuglican I have to be stimulated to outrage and violence by this, right? Hmmm - OK - let's bomb the hell out of Qum!!
That'll teach them damfurriners!
Actually, it is a lovely piece of music. Sort of 19th Century operetta-like. It of course can be seen as an example of hyperventilating xenophobic patriotism - and a bit gloomy and Latin and fatalistic.
No wonder that Mexican-American combat casualties in Iraq are right up there with those of our Southern boys.
In other words, aside from the whacko Aztlanistas who must be stopped, we should be OK. The local Mexican restaurant that I often visit for lunch is now enblazoned with American flags. I often chat with the proprietor. He makes the guys at Cafe Hayek sound like Socialists.
So - we need to make them Americans. If we can do that - what Americans they'll be.
I know I just did a little reading about the Mexican War of 1846-1848 and I think those guys might sing about war better than they fight it. BTW, Abraham Lincoln opposed the war and so did US Grant.
Did you know that almost a million Mexcians died in their civil war...it is amazing how little we know about our neighbors, all I know about that war is a man named Pancho Villa made life difficult for the guy running the place.
I think the lefties plan these things just so the right wing will go bonkers and attack Bush and hispanics in general. These little forays into nativism have a bad habit of backfiring on Republicans.
In other words, the lefties are using the Mexicans to get to the right wing. And it is working. Bush's numbers are down a little bit more every week or so.
skook, you are right. I was too flip about the fighting Latinos, they have done very well in Iraq.
I read somewhere that 145 immigrants have died fighting in Iraq with the US military. I bet 90% of them were from Latin America.
terrye:
Very true. As the French have said the Anglo-Saxons always win the final battle. The anthem was written I believe in 1854, right after the Mexican War, though curiously not adopted officially until 1943.
In Mexico City, there is a monument at the base of Chapultepec Hill, The Monument to the Child Heroes, supposedly - so the legend goes - to honor six teenaged cadets of the Military Academy who were the last to perish in the seige directed by Gen. Winfield Scott. They threw themselves off the parapets instead of surrendering.
David Thomson: Yup.
I suppose what I'm saying is that in the Mexicans there is a highly patriotic streak. If developed into a love of their new country, it can be an enormously powerful asset. If allowed to stay as a love only for Mexico, it could develop into a real problem. The choice is ours to make.
skook:
The biography I just read about Truman had an interesting anecdote about the Child Heroes.
Truman went to Mexico. It seems he was the first American president to do so. He visited that Memorial and people wept. They were so amazed that an American president would treat them with that kind of respect that they turned out in the hundreds of thousands to cheer Truman.
Most Americans would not have known about the Child Heroes and probably had no idea how important something like that would be to the Mexicans.
Here you go.
I get an "F-" for the day in reading comprehension - I thought Skook was referring to this, which isn't quite the same thing.
Rick:
No señor - a eso no me refiero.
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