La Bayamesa

La Bayamesa is the title of the Cuban national anthem. Melody and lyrics by Pedro Figueredo, who created the poem in 1868 on the occasion of the Battle of Bayamo, in which he took part. When the mambises, the soldiers of the Cuban liberation movement against the Spanish colonial rule, had to withdraw from Bayamo, moved the population of the city with them and sat before their own houses on fire. Figueredo was captured by the Spanish colonial troops two years later and executed. La Bayamesa was during the independence movement from 1868 to 1898, the national anthem of the Republic in Arms ( República de Armas ) and was introduced after independence from Spain and the end of the U.S. occupation in 1902 as the National Anthem of the Republic of Cuba. The hymn was sung on 8 November 1868 by a group of twelve women in the town square ( Parque Central) of Bayamo for the first time publicly.

Original (Spanish)

Al combate, corred bayameses, Que la Patria os contempla orgullosa; No temáis una muerte gloriosa, Que morir por la Patria vivir. De cadenas vivir, it vivir En afrenta y oprobio Sumido; Del clarín escuchad el sonido; ¡ A las armas valientes, corred!

Translation

On to the fight, rushes Bayamesen, because their country looks at you with pride, not fear a glorious death, because to die for the fatherland is to live. A life is a life in chains surrounded by disgrace. Hear the sound of the trumpet, to arms, ye brave, run!

See also

• Cuban music
• List of national anthems