Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
"Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" (usually translated as The Land of My Fathers, but literally The old country of my fathers) is by tradition the national anthem of Wales. The words were written by Evan James and the tune composed by his son, James James, both residents of Pontypridd, Glamorgan, in January 1856. The earliest written copy survives and is part of the collections of the National Library of Wales.
Glan Rhondda
The song, or Glan Rhondda (=The banks of Rhondda river) as it was known when first composed, was performed for the first time in the vestry of Capel Tabor chapel, Maesteg, in either January or February 1856, by a singer called Elizabeth John from Pontypridd, and it soon became popular in the locality.
Popularity
The popularity of the song increased after the Llangollen Eisteddfod of 1858. Thomas Llewelyn of Aberdare won a competition for an unpublished collection of Welsh airs with a collection that included Glan Rhondda. The adjudicator of the competition, Owain Alaw (John Owen, 1821-1883) asked for permission to include Glan Rhondda in his publication, Gems of Welsh melody (1860-64). This volume gave Glan Rhondda its more famous title, Hen wlad fy nhadau, and was sold in large quantities and ensured the popularity of the national anthem across the whole of Wales.
At the Bangor Eisteddfod of 1874 Hen Wlad fy Nhadau gained further popularity when it was sung by Robert Rees (Eos Morlais), one of the leading Welsh soloistis of his day. It was increasingly sung at patriotic gatherings and gradually it developed into a national anthem.
First recorded Welsh-language song
Hen wlad fy nhadau was also one of the first Welsh songs recorded when Madge Breese sang it on 11 March 1899, for the Gramophone Company. This was the first recording in the Welsh language.
National anthem
Hen wlad fy nhadau is used as an anthem at both national and local events in Wales. Usually this will be the only anthem sung, such as at national sporting events, and it will be sung only in Welsh using the first stanza and refrain. But on some official occasions, especially with royal connections, it is used in conjuntion with the national anthem of England and the United Kingdom, God Save the Queen.
Versions are used as anthems in Cornwall, Bro Goth Agan Tasow, and in Brittany, Bro Goz ma Zadoù.
Lyrics
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;
Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad,
Tros ryddid collasant eu gwaed.
- Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad.
- Tra môr yn fur i'r bur hoff bau,
- O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau.
Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd,
Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn i'm golwg sydd hardd;
Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si
Ei nentydd, afonydd, i mi.
Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad tan ei droed,
Mae hen iaith y Cymry mor fyw ag erioed.
Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad,
Na thelyn berseiniol fy ngwlad.
Translation
Land Of My Fathers
O land of my fathers, O land of my love,
Dear mother of minstrels who kindle and move,
And hero on hero, who at honour's proud call,
For freedom their lifeblood let fall.
- Wales! Wales! O but my heart is with you!
- And long as the sea
- Your bulwark shall be,
- To Cymru my heart shall be true.
O land of the mountains, the bard's paradise,
Whose precipice, valleys lone as the skies,
Green murmuring forest, far echoing flood
Fire the fancy and quicken the blood.
For tho' the fierce foeman has ravaged your realm,
The old speech of Cymru he cannot o'erwhelm,
Our passionate poets to silence command
Or banish the harp from your strand.
The above is a fairly free translation in verse.
A more literal translation would be:
The Old Land Of My Fathers
The old land of my fathers is dear to me,
Land of poets and singers, famous men of renown;
Her brave warriors, splendid patriots,
For freedom shed their blood.
- Land, land, I'm for my land.
- While the sea is a wall to the pure, dear country,
- O may the old language [sc. Cymraeg] endure.
Old mountainous Wales, paradise of the bards,
Every valley, every cliff is beautiful to my sight.
Through patriotic feeling, so charming is the murmur
Of her brooks, rivers, to me.
If the enemy oppresses my land under his foot,
The old language of the Welsh is as alive as ever.
The muse is not hindered by the hideous hand of treason,
Nor [is] the melodious harp of my country.
Another possible translation is:
The Land Of My Fathers
The land of my fathers is dear unto me,
Old land where the minstrels are honored and free;
Its warring defenders so gallant and brave,
For freedom their life's blood they gave.
- Home, home, true am I to home,
- While seas secure the land so pure,
- O may the old language endure.
Old land of the mountains, the Eden of bards,
Each gorge and each valley a loveliness guards;
Through love of my country, charmed voices will be
Its streams, and its rivers, to me.
Though foemen have trampled my land 'neath their feet,
The language of Cambria still knows no retreat;
The muse is not vanquished by traitor's fell hand,
Nor silenced the harp of my land.