El Himno de Riego is a song dating from the Spanish Civil War of 1820-1823 and named in honour of Colonel Rafael del Riego. It was the national anthem of the Second Spanish Republic (1931-1939).

At the Davis Cup tennis finals held in Australia in 2003 El Himno de Riego was played in error instead of Spain's current national anthem, the Marcha Real (or "Royal March"). The mistake provoked a row between Spanish and Australian tennis officials, although this probably had more to do with accusations of incompetence than with genuine republican/royalist differences. One side-effect of the incident was that it brought this rather joyful tune (which had been banned under the Franco régime) to the attention of at least two generations of Spaniards who had never heard it before.

Text

Serenos y alegres, valientes y osados,

Cantemos, soldados, el himno a la lid.

De nuestros acentos el orbe se admire

Y en nosotros mire los hijos del Cid.

|: Soldados, la patria nos llama a la lid.

Juremos por ella vencer o morir. :|

El mundo vio nunca, más noble osadía,

Ni vio nunca un día más grande el valor,

Que aquel, inflamados, nos vimos del fuego,

Excitar a Riego de Patria el amor.

|: Soldados, la patria nos llama a la lid.

Juremos por ella vencer o morir. :|

La trompa guerrera sus ecos al viento,

Horror al sediento, ya ruge el cañón.

A Marte sañudo la audacia provoca

Y el ingenio invoca de nuestra nación.

|: Soldados, la patria nos llama a la lid.

Juremos por ella vencer o morir. :|

External links

• MP3 file
• The Davis Cup incident