A Portuguesa! Portugal's National Anthem, With English Translation and History

The "A Portuguesa" is the national anthem of Portugal. The A Portuguesa roots are as a revolutionary song sung by the lower classes who opposed the lavish lifestyle and social injustices’ of the antonymous monarchy of Portugal. At the height of the revolution movement the A Portuguesa was banned and those caught singing it would be punished with deportation.

The monarchy was removed in 1908 and the anthem was re-invigorated as the populous song of freedom. The national anthem of Portugal has a very catchy chorus of “As armas! `As armas!” (English - To arms! to arms!) and this can be heard ringing out during sporting events. Below is the Portuguese national anthem translated into English and on the left the original Portuguese words of the A Portuguesa.

Portuguese - A Portuguesa

Hero'is do mar, nobre povo,
Nac,a~o valente, imortal
Levantai hoje de novo,
O esplendor de Portugal
Entre as brumas da memo'ria,
O' pa'tria sente-se a voz
Dos teus egre'gios avo's
Que ha'-de guiar-te `a vito'ria.
(CHORUS )
`As armas! `As armas!
Sobre a terra e sobre o mar!
`As armas! `As armas!
Pela Pa'tria lutar!

(Old line - Contra os bretões marchar, marchar!)***
Desfralda a invicta bandeira
`A luz viva do teu ce'u
Brade a Europa `a terra inteira
Portugal na~o pereceu!
Beija o solo teu jucundo
O oceano a rujir d'amor
E o teu brac,o vencedor
Deu mundos novos ao Mundo!
(CHORUS )
Saudai o sol que desponta
Sobre um ridente porvir;
Seja o eco d'uma afronta
O sinal de ressurgir.
Raios d'essa aurora forte
Sa~o como beijos de ma~e
Que nos guardam, nos sustem,
Contra as inju'rias da sorte.
(CHORUS )

English - A Portuguesa

Heroes of the sea, noble race,
Valiant and immortal nation,
Now is the hour to raise up on high once more
Portugal's splendour.
From out of the mists of memory,
Oh Homeland, we hear the voices
Of your great forefathers
That shall lead you on to victory!
(CHORUS )
To arms, to arms
On land and sea!
To arms, to arms
To fight for our Homeland!

(old Line - Against the British we march, we march!)***
Unfurl the unconquerable flag
In the bright light of your sky!
Cry out to all Europe and the whole world
That Portugal has not perished.
Your happy land is kissed
By the Ocean that murmurs with love.
And your conquering arm
Has given new worlds to the world!
(CHORUS )
Salute the Sun that rises
On a smiling future:
Let the echo of an insult be
The signal for our revival.
The rays of that powerful dawn
Are like a mother's kisses
That protect us and support us
Against the insults of fate.
(CHORUS )

***surprisingly to help race relations and the progression of a united Europe the 5th line of the chorus was altered

The national anthem of Portugal was originally written in the 19th century by the Republican movement of Portugal who were disgusted at the way the Portuguese royal family had agreed to British demands over land rights in Africa.

 

The British had demand great areas of Portugal’s African colonies and the anthem encourage Portugal’s workers and armies to rebel and fight the British, hence the undiplomatic 5th line of the original A Portuguesa.

 

The song still echoes the original intent, the verses and especially the chorus speak of a call to arms, the third verse speaks of "insults" and "embarrassment", which is how the Portuguese saw the British ultimatum. The song developed into a protest song not just against the loss of lands but against the monarchy itself, this change of focus caused the national anthem to be banned from being sung in public. The punishment for this act of defiance was severely punished with conspirators sent off to the harsh African colonies or long spells in jail.

In 1957 a standardised version of the song was proposed as previous there were versions with different words tunes and even tempos. To decide on the official words/tune a commission was created and the official A Portuguesa was agreed on 16 July 1957 which remains in effect to this day.