Lupang Hinirang is the national anthem of the Philippines. Its music was composed in 1898 by Julian Felipe, with lyrics in Spanish adapted from the poem Filipinas, written by José Palma in 1899.
Originally written as incidental music, it did not have words when it was adopted as the National Anthem of the Philippines and subsequently played during the proclamation of Philippine independence on June 12, 1898. During the American occupation of the Philippines, the colonial government banned the song from being played with the passage of the Flag Law. The law was repealed in 1919 and the song was translated into English and would be legalized as the “Philippine Hymn”. The anthem was translated into Tagalog beginning in the 1940s. A 1956 Pilipino (standardised Tagalog) version, revised in the 1960s, serves as the present anthem.
Lupang Hinirang means “Chosen Land” in Tagalog. Some English sources erroneously translate Lupang Hinirang as “Beloved Land” or “Beloved Country”;however, “Beloved Land” is a translation of the first line of Filipinas, which would be Tiérra adorada, and “Beloved Country” is likewise a translation of the first line of the current version of the anthem, which would be Bayang Magiliw. The anthem is also colloquially known as Bayang Magiliw.
Filipino lyrics:
Bayang magiliw,
Perlas ng Silanganan
Alab ng puso,
Sa Dibdib mo’y buhay.
Lupang Hinirang,
Duyan ka ng magiting,
Sa manlulupig,
Di ka pasisiil.
Sa dagat at bundok,
Sa simoy at sa langit mong bughaw,
May dilag ang tula,
At awit sa paglayang minamahal.
Ang kislap ng watawat mo’y
Tagumpay na nagniningning,
Ang bituin at araw niya,
Kailan pa ma’y di magdidilim,
Lupa ng araw ng luwalhati’t pagsinta,
Buhay ay langit sa piling mo,
Aming ligaya na pag may mang-aapi,
Ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo.
English Translation:
Beloved country,
Pearl of the Orient,
The burning [fervour] of the heart
In thy chest beats ever alive.
Chosen Land,
Thou art the cradle of the brave.
To the conquerors,
Thou shall never surrender.
In the seas and mountains,
In the air and in the azure sky,
There is splendour in the poem
And [in the] song for freedom beloved.
The sparkle of thy flag
Is victory that shines.
Its stars and sun
Forever shall never dim.
Land of the sun, of glory and our love,
Life is heaven in thy embrace;
It is our joy, when there are oppressors,
To die because of thee.