Thursday, June 11, 2009

No Mas Amor Que El Tuyo



Here is a song in honor of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, one of the most popular in the Philippines in the 20th century. It was written by Manuel Bernabe, a Filipino poet who was a master of the Spanish and Latin (!) languages. Bernabe was one of the most gifted luminaries of early 20th century, whose volume of work spanned translations, anthologies, and countless poems. No Mas Amor was originally written as a poem, and then set to music by Simeon Resurreccion. Unfortunately I could find no mp3 available on the internet, but here is the sheet music (PDF file), for those interested.

There is also an English translation here.

No Mas Amor Que El Tuyo

Letra de Manuel Bernabe (see biography below)
Musica del Simeon Resurreccion

No mas amor que el Tuyo
O corazon divino,
El pueblo Filipino,
Te da su corazon.
En templos y en hogares,
Te invoque nuestra lengua,
Tu reinaras sin mengua
De Aparri hasta Jolo.

Coro:

Ha tiempo que esperamos
Tu imperio en el Oriente,
La fe de Filipinas
Es como el sol ardiente,
como la roca firme,
Inmensa como el mar.
La iniquidad no puede
Ser de estas islas duena
Que izada en nuestros montes,
Tu celestial ensena,
Las puertas de infierno
No prevaleceran.


Found on Monk's Hobbit, and thanks to Enbretheliel for 'reminding' me about it.

9 comments:

Enbrethiliel said...

+JMJ+

Great minds think alike and all . . . ;)

Anonymous said...

thank you for sharing the music shee of this song... more power and God bless!:)

Anonymous said...

we have a waray-waray translation of this song if you like a copy i will send u... God Bless Again!

Archistrategos said...

Hello Anon, please post the waray translation here, I know some people who might appreciate it. Thanks! :)

Noel Perdigon said...

Thank you for featuring this well-loved Filipino hymn to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which I first learned to sing in Spanish on the occasion of the visit of Pope John Paul II to Legazpi City in 1981. This new translation, which can be sung with the same melody following the original cadence, is my Valentine gift to The Sacred Heart, Christ Jesus, the King of Hearts

New Translation to English
No Greater Love Than Yours
(Translated from the original Spanish
“No Mas Amor Que El Tuyo”
by Noel Perdigon, on Valentine’s Day
February 14, 2012)

No greater love than Yours,
O Most Sacred Heart,
The Filipino nation,
Lovingly gives you her heart.
In temples and in households,
We rev’rently invoke your Name
Ever supreme is your reign
From Batanes* down to Jolo

Chorus:
A long while that we have hoped for
Your empire in the Orient.
The faith of the Philippines
is like the sun ablaze
Like a rock standing firmly,
Vastly wide as the sea
These islands shall never be
Forever gripped by inequity,
For on our distant mountains
Your holy emblem hovers
The gates of perdition
Shall never prevail.
(This English translation can be sung with the original melody)

*updated to Batanes (originally Aparri) as suggested by MCP (who commented in another blog):
We learned to sing this at Maryknoll College; but we had to change the line, “De Aparri hasta Jolo” to “De Batanes hasta Jolo.” the Philippine Archipelago’s northernmost point is the Batanes island group, not Appari, Cagayan in mainland Luzon. Please change your Aparri to Batanes. MCP June 29, 2011 at 9:41 pm

Noel Perdigon said...

Tagalog Translation by a team of Jesuits:
Walang higit na pag-ibig,
O Mahal na Puso
Ang bayang Pilipino
alay sa puso mo
Sa templo sa tahanan,
sambit naming ang ‘Yong ngalan.
Maghari kang tunay
sa Aparri hanggang Jolo.
Malaon na naming pangarap
paghahari mo sa Silangan
Pananampalataya nami’y
‘singwagas ng araw
Sintatag ng kabundukan
sinlawak ng karagatan
Kailanma’y di pabibihag,
bayan mo sa kasalanan
Tanghal sa tanang
dako ang banal
mong sagisag
Ang sumpa ng karimlam
di magtatagumpay.

Noel Perdigon said...

Listen to "No Mas Amor Que El Tuyo" in the original Spanish through this link. Happy Hearts' Day to all!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p_aMcAAX_U

Noel Perdigon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Noel Perdigon said...

Instrumental Music of "No Mas Amor Que El Tuyo" (No Greater Love Than Yours). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfbojMpU2So&feature=related