La Borinqueña
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Infobox anthem Template:Puerto Rican culture "Template:Lang"Template:EfnTemplate:Efn is the official anthem<ref name="PRGOV">Template:Cite web</ref> of Puerto Rico.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
After Puerto Rico became known as "The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" in 1952,<ref name="PRGOV"/> the first elected governor, Luis Muñoz Marín, signed law #2 of July 24, 1952, which made an altered version of the musical composition known as "La Borinqueña" its national anthem. The words that go with the composition were approved by governor Carlos Romero Barceló on July 27, 1977, as per law #123.<ref name="fortaleza.gobierno.pr">"La Fortaleza, Simbolos Patrios: Himno de Puerto Rico" Template:Webarchive. Retrieved: February 23, 2008. </ref>
Etymology
[edit]The title refers to the aboriginal Taíno name for the island of Puerto Rico, Template:Lang.
History
[edit]
The music was originally credited to Félix Astol Artés in 1867 as a habanera danza, with romantic lyrics, but there is some evidence that Francisco Ramírez, a native of San Germán, wrote the music<ref name="fortaleza.gobierno.pr"/> in 1860, and named it "La Almojábana".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1868, Lola Rodríguez de Tió wrote a poem in support of the Puerto Rican revolution, which was set to the Ramírez/Astol music. In fear of investigation by the Spanish government, Ramírez asked Astol to claim authorship of the music since he was a native of Catalonia and would, therefore, raise no suspicion.<ref name="fortaleza.gobierno.pr"/>
After the cession of the island to the United States, the popular revolutionary lyrics of Lola Rodríguez de Tió were deemed too subversive for official adoption; therefore, a non-confrontational set of lyrics were written in 1903 by Asturias-born Manuel Fernández Juncos. The tune was officially adopted as Puerto Rico's national anthem in 1952 by governor Luis Muñoz Marín, and the words were adopted in 1977 by governor Carlos Romero Barceló.
The version of "La Borinqueña" that is most commonly performed today is performed as a slow-tempo march, without the original tune's initial paseo. Per the request of the new government, Ramón Collado rearranged the music in 1952 into a more military-like tune.<ref name="PRGOV"/> Luis Miranda, the musical director of Puerto Rico's 65th Infantry Regiment Band, adapted the tune to be played as a march in 1922. The 1977 law that officially adopted the words merely stated that "La Borinqueña" be played as a march, with the tempo vaguely described as being in a "martial manner", but established no official arrangement for the music. An official revision made in 2003 leaves the tune as a march.
In 2012, Dr. Yajaira Sierra Sastre, an aspiring astronaut, collaborated in a variety of projects with the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network and the Cornell Nanoscale Facility, which included writing the smallest "national" anthem ever written, "La Borinqueña Más Pequeña".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
According to Puerto Rico Law # 2 of July 24, 1952, both "La Borinqueña" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" are played at official events.<ref name="LexJuris both hymns">Template:Cite web</ref> During international sports competitions such as the Olympics, only "La Borinqueña" is played.<ref>Olympic Participation a Source of Pride in Puerto Rico. Sean Jensen. SportsEngine Inc. 3 October 2018. Accessed 1 February 2022. Archived.</ref>
The anthem, with its revolutionary lyrics, was featured in Steven Spielberg's 2021 film adaptation of the stage musical West Side Story, sung by the Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks, early in the film. It was never used in the stage version nor its 1961 film adaptation prior to this film.<ref>What’s New in the New West Side Story?: In Steven Spielberg’s version, we get a film that offers a far more inclusive vision of postwar America but one that still retains its flawed view of working-class tribalism.. Ed Morales. The Nation. 20 December 2021. Accessed 1 February 2022. Archived.</ref>
Lyrics
[edit]Current lyrics
[edit]The following are the current lyrics, as written by Manuel Fernández Juncos and adopted in 1903.
| Spanish original<ref name="LJ"/> | IPA transcriptionTemplate:Efn | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| <poem>Template:Lang</poem> | <poem>[la ˈtje.ra ðe βo.ɾiŋ.ˈken]
[ˈdon.de‿e na.ˈsi.ðo ʝo] [es un xaɾ.ˈðin flo.ˈɾi.ðo] [de ˈma.xi.ko pɾi.ˈmoɾ] [un ˈsje.lo ˈsjem.pɾe ˈni.ti.ðo] [le ˈsiɾ.βe ðe ðo.ˈsel] [i ðan a.ˈru.ʝos ˈpla.si.ðos] [las ˈo.las a sus pjes] [ˈkwan.do‿a sus ˈpla.ʝas ʝe.ˈɣo ko.ˈlon] (𝄆) [eɣs.kla.ˈmo ˈʝe.no ðe‿að.mi.ɾa.ˈsjon] (𝄇) [o ǀ o ǀ o ǁ] [ˈes.ta‿ez la ˈlin.da ˈtje.ra] [ke ˈβus.ko ʝo] [ez βo.ɾiŋ.ˈken la ˈi.xa] [la ˈi.xa ðel maɾ i‿el sol] 𝄆 [ðel maɾ i‿el sol] [ðel maɾ i‿el sol] 𝄇</poem> |
<poem>The land of Borinquén
where I was born is a flowery garden of magical beauty. A constantly clear sky serves as its canopy. And placid lullabies are sung by the waves at its feet. When at her beaches Columbus arrived; (𝄆) he exclaimed full of admiration (𝄇) Oh! Oh! Oh! This is the beautiful land that I seek. Borinquén is the daughter, the daughter of the sea and the sun. 𝄆 Of the sea and the sun, of the sea and the sun. 𝄇</poem> |
Original 1868 revolutionary lyrics
[edit]
| Spanish original<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | English translation |
|---|---|
| <poem>Template:Lang</poem> | <poem>I
Arise, boricua! The call to arms has sounded! Awake from the slumber, it is time to fight! Doesn't this patriotic call set your heart alight? Come! We are in tune with the roar of the cannon. Come, Come, the Cuban will soon be freed; 𝄆 the machete will give him his liberty. 𝄇 Now the drums of war speak with their music, that the jungle is the place, the meeting place. 𝄆 The meeting, The meeting. 𝄇 (The Cry of Lares must be repeated, and then we will know: victory or death.) II Beautiful Borinquén must follow Cuba; you have brave sons who wish to fight. Now, no longer can we be unmoved; now we do not want timidly to let them subjugate us. We want to be free now, 𝄆 and our machete has been sharpened. 𝄇 Why, then, have we been so sleepy and deaf and deaf to the call? 𝄆 To the call, to the call? 𝄇 III There is no need to fear, Ricans, the roar of the cannon; saving the nation is the duty of the heart. We no longer want despots, tyranny shall fall now; the unconquerable women also will know how to fight. We want freedom, 𝄆 and our machete will give it to us. 𝄇 Come, Boricuas, come now, since anxiously awaits us anxiously, freedom, 𝄆 freedom, freedom! 𝄇</poem> |
Abridged version
[edit]A short version of the revolutionary lyrics is sometimes sung, consisting of the first half of the first verse and the second half of the third verse.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Spanish original | English translation |
|---|---|
| <poem>Template:Lang</poem> | <poem>I
Arise, boricua! The call to arms has sounded! Awake from the slumber, it is time to fight! Doesn't this patriotic call set your heart alight? Come! We are in tune with the roar of the cannon. III We want freedom, and our machete will give it to us. Come, Boricuas, come now, since anxiously awaits us anxiously, freedom, 𝄆 freedom, freedom! 𝄇</poem> |