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Els Segadors
English: The Reapers
Senyera (Pl. Octavià, S. Cugat del Vallès) 01.jpg
National anthem of  Catalonia
Lyrics Emili Guanyavents, 1899
Music Francesc Alió, 1892
Adopted 1993

Els Segadors (pronounced "els suh-guh-THORS") means "The Reapers". It is the official song of Catalonia, a special region in Spain. This song is a very important symbol for the Catalan people.

The Story of the Song

Els segadors
The "Corpus de Sang" event in 1640, which started the Reapers' War. Painting from 1910.
Francesc Alió
Portrait of Francesc Alió, who wrote the music for "Els Segadors".

The story of "Els Segadors" began a long time ago, around 1640. It started as a folk song based on real events. These events happened during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648).

At that time, Catalonia was part of Spain. The Spanish king's chief minister, the Count-Duke of Olivares, made unfair demands on the Catalans. This led to a big uprising known as the Reapers' War.

The original song described how Catalan farmers, called reapers, fought back. They were upset about how they were being treated. The song tells how they marched into Barcelona and even killed the viceroy, who was the king's representative. It ended by telling Catalans to take up arms and fight.

How the Song Became Modern

In the 1800s, an old version of the song was written down in a book of folk traditions. Later, in 1892, Francesc Alió created the music for the song.

Then, in 1899, Emili Guanyavents wrote the modern words we know today. He won a competition to simplify the song into three main parts. Some people didn't like these new words at first. This was because Guanyavents gave the song a more revolutionary feel.

A Symbol of Catalonia

From the early 1900s, "Els Segadors" became a very important symbol for Catalonia. It grew even more popular during the Second Spanish Republic and the Spanish Civil War.

During the time of Francisco Franco (1939-1975), Catalan symbols, including "Els Segadors", were banned. People could not sing it in public. But Catalans still used other songs to show their identity.

After many years, the Catalan government officially made "Els Segadors" the national anthem of Catalonia. This happened on February 25, 1993. A new law in 2006 confirmed this decision.

Song Words

Modern Words

Here are the modern words of "Els Segadors" in Catalan and their English translation.

Catalan Original (Official) Poetic English Translation

I
Catalunya triomfant,
tornarà a ser rica i plena.
Endarrera aquesta gent
tan ufana i tan superba.

Tornada:
Bon cop de falç!
Bon cop de falç, defensors de la terra!
Bon cop de falç!

II
Ara és hora, segadors.
Ara és hora d'estar alerta.
Per quan vingui un altre juny,
esmolem ben bé les eines.

Tornada

III
Que tremoli l'enemic,
en veient la nostra ensenya.
Com fem caure espigues d'or,
quan convé seguem cadenes.

Tornada

I
Catalonia triumphant
Shall again be rich and abundant.
Drive away these folks
Who are so proud and arrogant.

Chorus:
Strike with Thy sickle!
Strike with Thy sickle, Defenders of the Land!
Strike with Thy sickle!

II
Now is the time, Reapers.
Now is the time to stand wise.
Let us sharpen well our means,
For when another June cometh.

Chorus

III
May the enemy tremble
Upon seeing our symbol.
Just as we cut the wheat’s golden ears,
When time calleth, we sever chains.

Chorus

Other Versions

"Els Segadors" has been recorded and performed by different artists. For example, the composer Jordi Savall made a version that mixed the old story with the modern words.

In 2017, an American heavy metal band called A Sound of Thunder released their own version. It used both English and Catalan words.

See also

  • Catalan nationalism
  • Anthems of the autonomous communities of Spain
  • Gernikako Arbola (anthem)
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