Lupang Hinirang

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 nang dahil sa 'yo.

I'm feeling a bit nationalistic today so I thought of posting the official Philippine National Anthem here on my blog just to satisfy the said feeling. Anyways, "Lupang Hinirang" was composed by Julian Felipe in 1898 and the lyrics were written by Jose Palma by 1899. According to Republic Act 8491, or the Flag and Heraldic Code of 1998, "the National Anthem shall always be sung in the national language within or without the country."

Back in 5th grade (don't ask about the year), our music teacher, Mr. Mondragon, imposed upon the whole batch that in order to have our freakin' names cleared for the school year, we need to sing the "Lupang Hinirang" continuously without any errors. Of course, every Filipino should know the said song by mind and heart since it is a symbol of our country. Unfortunately, I had to sing the anthem twice! Grrr. I think I said "pasisiid" instead of "pasisiil." Anyways, on my 2nd quasi-nationalistic/desperate attempt, I did way better because I vowed to memorize every single word in order to nail my clearance. Haha. :)

Anyways, I just thought that what if I ask a grade 5 student tomorrow morning to recite the "Lupang Hinirang" out of the blue, would he or she be able to sing the whole thing without any errors? Hmmm. I seriously wonder.

Coffee, anyone?