Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau

"Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" (, meaning "Old Land of My Fathers") is the national anthem of Wales. In January 1856, the words of the song were written by Evan James, and his son James James composed a tune for the song.Welsh National Anthem wales.com. Welsh Government. 2014.Welsh anthem – The background to Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. Wales history. BBC Cymru Wales. 1 December 2008.

Lyrics
Current official
Welsh version
Words of the song in WelshPronunciation of these words using the IPATranslation of these words into EnglishI
The old land of my fathers is dear to me,
Land of bards and singers, famous men of renown;
Her brave warriors, very splendid patriots,
For freedom shed their blood.

Country, Country, I am faithful to my Country.
While the sea [is] a wall to the pure, most loved land,
O may the old language [sc. Welsh] endure.

II
Old mountainous Wales, paradise of the bard,
Every valley, every cliff, to my look is beautiful.
Through patriotic feeling, so charming is the murmur
Of her brooks, rivers, to me.

III
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.

𝄆  𝄇

English versions
Alfred Graves versionThe Sea Kingdoms: The History of Celtic Britain and Ireland Moffat, Alistair. Birlinn Limited. 12 August 2011.William Williams versionThe Celtic Festival Goes to Wales (PDF). The Cherry Creek Chorale. 11 March 2016.John Owen versionGems of Welsh Melody. A Selection of popular Welsh Songs, with English and Welsh words; specimens of Pennillion Singing, after the manner of North Wales; and Welsh National Airs, ancient and modern ... for the Pianoforte or Harp, with Symphonies and Accompaniments by J. Owen, etc. Owen, John (1862). I. Clarke.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.

Chorus:
Country! Country! O but my heart is with you!
As 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 are fair to my eyes,
Green murmuring forest, far echoing flood
Fire the fancy and quicken the blood

Chorus

For tho' the fierce foeman has ravaged your realm,
The old speech of Wales he cannot o'erwhelm,
Our passionate poets to silence command,
Or banish the harp from your strand.

𝄆 Chorus 𝄇The land of my fathers is dear to me,
Old land where the minstrels are honoured and free;
Its warring defenders so gallant and brave,
For freedom their life's blood they gave.

Chorus:
Home, home, true I am 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.

Chorus

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.

𝄆 Chorus 𝄇Оh! Land of my fathers, the land of the free,
The home of the Telyn, so soothing to me;
Thy noble defenders were gallant and brave,
For thy freedom their hearts' life they gave!

Chorus:
Wales, Wales, my mother's sweet home is in Wales,
Till death be pass'd my love shall last,
My longing, my hiraeth for Wales.

Thou Eden of bards, and birthplace of song,
The sons of thy mountains are valiant and strong;
The voice of thy streamlets is soft to the ear,
Thy hills and thy vallies how dear!

Chorus

Though trampled and crush'd by oppression's foul wrong,
The language of Cambria still lives on in song;
The Awen survives, nor have envious tales
Yet silenced the harp of dear Wales.

𝄆 Chorus 𝄇

Patagonian variant
A Patagonian variant called "Gwlad Newydd y Cymry" (, meaning "New Country of the Welshmen") was written by Lewis Evans, a Welsh immigrant to Y Wladfa.

Welsh wordsEnglish wordsI
Patagonia is dear to me,
The new land of the noble Welsh people;
True freedom we breathe in our new country,
Far from the reach of oppression and betrayal:

Nation [or country], Nation, I am faithful to my Nation.
While the sun rises above the land,
Oh! may the Settlement continue.

II
The Welsh have been lying broken in scorn,
Well, thanks to the Wladfa from dust we're reborn;
Our language of old we laud and esteem
While Camwy flows with shining stream:

III
Let Welshman submit to the English no more,
Their oppression is ended, and silenced their roar;
Y Wladfa we praise while the great white Andes,
With its peak in the chamber of dawn:

𝄆  𝄇

Related pages
 Bro Goth Agan Tasow, the anthem of Cornwall (uses the same tune)
 Bro Gozh ma Zadoù, the anthem of Brittany (uses the same tune)

References

Category:Welsh culture
Category:British anthems
Category:1850s songs