Length: 251 words
Anthem lyrics (use the arrow on the left to collapse this section):
Ouviram do Ipiranga as margens plácidas
De um povo heróico o brado retumbante,
E o sol da liberdade, em raios fúlgidos,
Brilhou no céu da pátria nesse instante.
Se o penhor dessa igualdade
Conseguimos conquistar com braço forte,
Em teu seio, ó liberdade,
Desafia o nosso peito a própria morte!
Ó pátria amada,
Idolatrada,
Salve! Salve!
Brasil, um sonho intenso, um raio vívido
De amor e de esperança à terra desce,
Se em teu formoso céu, risonho e límpido,
A imagem do cruzeiro resplandece.
Gigante pela própria natureza,
És belo, és forte, impávido colosso,
E o teu futuro espelha essa grandeza.
Terra adorada,
Entre outras mil,
És tu, Brasil,
Ó pátria amada!
Dos filhos deste solo és mãe gentil,
Pátria amada,
Brasil!
Deitado eternamente em berço esplêndido,
Ao som do mar e à luz do céu profundo,
Fulguras, ó Brasil, florão da América,
Iluminado ao sol do novo mundo!
Do que a terra mais garrida
Teus risonhos, lindos campos têm mais flores;
“Nossos bosques têm mais vida”,
“Nossa vida” no teu seio “mais amores”.
Ó pátria amada,
Idolatrada,
Salve! Salve!
Brasil, de amor eterno seja símbolo
O lábaro que ostentas estrelado,
E diga o verde-louro dessa flâmula
– Paz no futuro e glória no passado.
Mas, se ergues da justiça a clava forte,
Verás que um filho teu não foge à luta,
Nem teme, quem te adora, a própria morte.
Terra adorada
Entre outras mil,
És tu, Brasil,
Ó pátria amada!
Dos filhos deste solo és mãe gentil,
Pátria amada,
Brasil!
Historical context:
The music for Brazil’s national anthem predates its current lyrics by many years. Francisco Manuel da Silva composed the score in 1831. The original lyrics, authored by Ovídio Saraiva, quickly fell out of use, in part because they were seen as excessively offensive to the Portuguese, such as these lines:The music itself remained popular, however, both with and without lyrics, and was soon recognized as the nation’s unofficial anthem. The lyrics continued to vary over time until the nation’s centennial independence celebrations in 1922. The day before the centennial itself, on September 6, 1922, President Epitácio Pessoa decreed that Joaquim Osório Duque Estrada’s poem the song’s official lyrics. These lyrics were updated to reflect the new orthographic structure of the Portuguese language in 1971, but otherwise remain the same.
It is the only anthem in the Americas whose lyrics explicitly celebrates the sheer size of the country (“gigante pela própria natureza, és belo, és forte, impávido colosso”). The music is also remarkably varied for a national anthem, which is likely why it has retained such popularity over the years even when played without any accompanying lyrics.
Brazilian law sets down strict rules concerning its presentation which require, among other things, that it be played in its entirety.
Performance:
(The spelling of “Ipiranga,” the river upon whose banks Dom Pedro I declared Brazil’s independence from Portugal (and the rule of his father), has been modernized since the anthem was written. You will thus sometimes see the word spelled “Ypiranga.” I have opted to use the modern spelling that is currently displayed by the Brazilian government’s website.