Honduras national anthem lyrics

Honduras national anthem lyrics belong to Himno Nacional de Honduras. The lyrics were written by Augusto C. Coello, and the music was composed by Carlos Hartling. The anthem was officially adopted in 1915. It is one of the few national anthems that tells the country’s story step by step, moving from the pre-colonial era to independence and national pride.

The Anthem and Its Structure

The anthem consists of a chorus and seven verses. While public ceremonies usually include only the chorus and the final verse, the complete version below is the official text recognized by the state and taught in schools.

Original Lyrics (Spanish)

Himno Nacional de Honduras

Coro

Tu bandera es un lampo de cielo
por un bloque de nieve cruzado;
y se ven en su fondo sagrado
cinco estrellas de pálido azul;
en tu emblema, que un mar rumoroso
con sus ondas bravías escuda,
de un volcán, tras la cima desnuda,
hay un astro de nítida luz.

I

India virgen y hermosa dormías
de tus mares al canto sonoro,
cuando echada en tus cuencas de oro
el audaz navegante te halló;
y al mirar tu belleza extasiado,
al influjo ideal de tu encanto,
la orla azul de tu espléndido manto
con su beso de amor consagró.

II

De un país donde el sol se levanta,
más allá del Atlante azulado,
aquel hombre que te había soñado
y en tu busca a la mar se lanzó,
cuando erguiste la pálida frente,
en la viva ansiedad de tu anhelo,
bajo el dombo gentil de tu cielo
ya flotaba un extraño pendón.

III

Era inútil que el indio tu amado
se aprestara a la lucha con ira,
porque envuelto en su sangre Lempira
en la noche profunda se hundió;
y de la épica hazaña, en la historia,
la leyenda tan solo ha quedado
como un grito que guarda el pasado
de la raza vencida el dolor.

IV

Por tres siglos tus hijos oyeron
el mandato imperioso del amo;
por tres siglos tu inútil reclamo
en la atmósfera azul se perdió;
pero un día de gloria tu oído
percibió, poderoso y distante,
que allá lejos, por sobre el Atlante,
indignado rugía un león.

V

Era Francia, la libre, la heroica,
que en su sueño de siglos dormida,
despertaba iracunda a la vida
al reclamo viril de Dantón;
era Francia que enviaba a la muerte
la cabeza del rey consagrado,
y que alzaba, soberbia a su lado,
el altar de la Diosa Razón.

VI

Tú también ¡oh mi patria! te alzaste
de tu sueño servil y profundo;
tú también enseñaste al mundo
destrozado el infame eslabón;
y en tu suelo bendito, tras la alta
cabellera de monte selvático,
como un ave de negro plumaje,
la colonia fugaz se perdió.

VII

Por guardar ese emblema divino
marcharemos, ¡oh patria!, a la muerte;
generosa será nuestra suerte
si morimos pensando en tu amor.
Defendiendo tu santa bandera,
y en tus pliegues gloriosos cubiertos,
serán muchos, Honduras, tus muertos,
pero todos caerán con honor.

English Version (Translation)

Honduras National Anthem – English Translation

Your flag is a streak of sky
crossed by a band of snow,
and in its sacred field
five pale blue stars can be seen;
within your emblem, guarded by roaring seas,
beyond a bare volcanic peak,
there shines a single clear star.

Once you slept, a pure and beautiful land,
listening to the sound of your seas,
until the daring navigator found you
resting in your golden valleys;
captivated by your beauty,
he sealed your blue mantle
with a kiss of devotion.

From a land where the sun rises,
beyond the blue Atlantic,
came the man who had dreamed of you
and set sail in search of your shores;
when you raised your pale face,
under the gentle dome of your sky,
a foreign banner was already flying.

It was useless for your beloved native
to rise in anger to fight,
for Lempira, covered in his own blood,
fell into the deep night;
and of that heroic deed, history keeps
only the legend,
a cry of pain from a defeated people.

For three centuries your children obeyed
the harsh command of a master;
for three centuries their pleas were lost
in the blue sky;
until one glorious day you heard,
from far across the Atlantic,
the roar of an outraged lion.

It was France, free and bold,
awakening from centuries of sleep,
rising in fury at Danton’s call;
France that sent a crowned king to death
and raised beside him, with pride,
the altar of Reason.

You too, my homeland, rose
from your deep and servile sleep;
you too showed the world
the broken chain of shame;
and on your blessed soil, beneath wild mountains,
like a dark-feathered bird,
the fleeting colony disappeared.

To protect that sacred emblem,
we will march, homeland, even to death;
our fate will be generous
if we die thinking of your love.
Defending your holy flag,
wrapped in its glorious folds,
many will fall, Honduras,
but all will fall with honor.

The Background of the Anthem

Honduras adopted its national anthem in 1915, choosing a text that reads almost like a historical lesson. Augusto C. Coello wrote the lyrics to describe the country’s journey, while Carlos Hartling composed music that matched its serious tone.

Unlike shorter anthems, Honduras’s anthem takes time to explain where the nation came from and what it endured. Because of this, it holds a special place in education and is often studied as much as it is sung.