Lupa Ng Araw Ng Luwalahating Pagsinta…
It does not matter if it’s the U.S.’s Star Spangled Banner, Mexico’s Himno Nacional Mexicano or my country’s own Lupang Hinirang. Whenever I hear someone singing a national anthem with pride, zeal, and fervor — especially on a big stage, I can’t help but get goosebumps.
It takes a special kind of stupid to botch your own country’s national anthem on purpose. But screwing it up royally, especially in the part where the anthem sticks it up to the colonialists asses, should be a capital offense. You see, the three anthems I mention not only embody the spirit of a nation, at the time they were written they are meant as a statement to the colonial powers that be.
Here is the Philippine National Anthem in full:
Bayang Magiliw
Perlas ng Silanganan,
Alab ng puso
Sa dibdib mo’y buhay.
Lupang hinirang,
Duyan ka ng magiting,
Sa manlulupig,
‘Di ka pasisiil.
Sa dagat at bundok,
Sa simoy at sa langit mong bughaw,
May dilag ang tula at awit
Sa paglayang minamahal.
Ang kislap ng watawat mo’y
Tagumpay na nagniningning,
Ang bituin at araw niya
Kailan pa ma’y ‘di magdidilim.
Lupa ng araw, ng luwalhati’t pagsinta,
Buhay ay langit sa piling mo;
Aming ligaya, na ‘pag may mang-aapi
Ang mamatay nang dahil sa ‘yo.
Now, take a gander at this:
I don’t know if you can see it clearly, but even coach Freddy Roach seemed to notice something was wrong. That last part is supposed to go like:
Lupa ng araw, ng luwalhati’t pagsinta,
Buhay ay langit sa piling mo;
Aming ligaya, na ‘pag may mang-aapi
Ang mamatay nang dahil sa ‘yo.
Which is the toned down translation of the (much better) Spanish original:
Tierra de dichas, del sol y de amores,
En tu regazo dulce es vivir.
Es una gloria para tus hijos,
Cuando te ofenden, por ti morir.
The original words were written by the soldier-poet Jose Palma. That part is the most special part of the poem because it is the part that essentially says: “Although it is a pleasure to live in the comfort of your arms, it will be a far greater pleasure for us, when someone offends you, to die for you.” Which is a poetic way of saying “I will die defending your honor.”
Here it is again, sung properly by a more talented singer:
The falsetto at the end notwithstanding, do you hear the difference when you do it right?