The story below was posted on NPR about a long-forgotten Spanish translation of the national anthem.
To listen:
An Immigrant’s ‘Star-Spangled Banner,’ En Espanol
To read the transcript of the story on NPR (you can also click on the link on the left-hand side to hear the full anthem performed in Spanish):
http://www.npr.org/2012/10/10/162570722/an-immigrants-star-spangled-banner-en-espa-ol
Here is the translation of the anthem Clotilde Arias wrote in 1945. You may notice that while the meaning is basically the same, not every line is literally the same as the English. Why do you think this is? Why do you think translating songs might be harder than translating a book or article?
¡Oh! ¿No veis a la luz de temprano alborear
Lo que altivo se alzó cuando el sol se ocultaba,
Y sus franjas y estrellas en el rudo luchar
Sobre recio bastión tan gallardo ondulaba?
Y la bomba al lanzar su rojiza explosión
En la noche dió a ver que allí estaba el pendón.
El Pendón Estrellado
Tremola feliz
En la tierra del valor,
Sobre libre país.
