Asturias, patria querida

Asturias, patria querida

English: Asturias, my dear Motherland
Regional anthem of Asturias
Lyrics	Ignacio Piñeiro

Asturias, patria querida is the anthem of the Spanish autonomous community of Asturias.

This adaptation of a much slower song from the neighbouring lands of Cantabria (Madre, cuando voy a leña) was appointed as official anthem after a contest in Oviedo in the 1890s. It has both a Castilian and an Asturian version. It is also a popular melody for bagpipers.

It has been recently discovered that this song was written in Cuba. The father of the author had returned to his beloved Asturias to die, the author - Ignacio Piñeiro - dedicated the song to his father. The music was different, it is believed to be a melody that Polish miners from the area of Opole Silesia -that worked in Asturian coal mines at the beginning of the 20th century- had brought to Asturias. In fact, the song is still known in Poland, where it was taught as a patriotic song

A few versions of the anthem were created by the republican side of the Spanish Civil War, therefore the anthem was seen as a miners song (it is said the miners revolt in Asturias in 1934 was a wake-up call to the civil war) and as a left-wing song by the right-wing Nationalists. The song was ridiculed in times of Francisco Franco, to the point of being considered "the anthem of the drunks", a concept that still exists in some parts of Spain.

Lyrics

Castilian:	Asturian:	English:	Portuguese:
Asturias, Patria querida, Asturias de mis amores; ¡quién estuviera en Asturias en todas las ocasiones! Tengo de subir al árbol, tengo de coger la flor, y dársela a mi morena que la ponga en el balcón, Que la ponga en el balcón, que la deje de poner, tengo de subir al árbol y la flor he de coger.	Asturies, Patria querida, Asturies, de mios amores ¡Ai, quién tuviera n'Asturies en toes les ocasiones! Tengo de subir al árbol, tengo de coyer la flor y dá-yla a la mio morena, que la ponga nel balcón. Que la ponga nel balcón que la dexe de poner, tengo de subir al árbol y la flor tengo coyer.	Asturias, my beloved Fatherland, My loved one Asturias, Ah, lucky he who could be in Asturias For all times! I have to climb the tree I have to pick the flower and give it to my brunette so she may put it in her balcony May she put it in her balcony May she put it not I have to climb the tree and the flower I have to pick	Astúrias, Pátria querida, Astúrias dos meus amores; Quem estivesse em Astúrias em todas as ocasiões! Tenho que subir à árvore, tenho que colher a flor, e dá-la a minha morena para que a ponha no balcão, Para que a ponha no balcão, e se ela não a pôr, tenho que subir à árvore e a flor hei de colher.

Polish version

Polish:

Asturio, ziemio mych młodych lat, Asturio, ziemio jedyna, do mojej ziemi chcę wrócić wnet i wrócę, jeśli nie zginę. Wrócę i wejdę na drzewo i zerwę kwiat pełen rosy, i dam go mojej czarnulce, aby go wpięła we włosy. Asturio, ziemio mych młodych lat, Asturio, ziemio mych marzeń, o, bracie, gdybyś Asturię znał, rozumiałbyś, czemu płaczę. Wrócę, zobaczę Owiedo, chwycę karabin i granat, pójdę się bić za Asturię, moją ojczyznę kochaną.

References

• Fernando de la Puente documents Asturian anthem history in Asturies.com (in Asturian language)
• Asturian Newspaper La Nueva España reports on news about anthem history (in Spanish).

External file

• mp3 file (241 Kb)