Els Segadors (the reapers) was declared the national anthem of Catalonia in 1993 by the Catalan Parliament.
It is based upon an anonymous ballad written in the second half of 1640, and refers to the Revolt of the Reapers, known as Corpus de Sang, in a Catalonia occupied by the troops of Philip IV in which the peasants played a key role.
The anthem is a fierce call to defend the freedom of the land, calling upon the peasants to cut down the Spanish oppressors with their scythes, ‘swing the sickle’, ‘ sharpen the tools’…..
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CATALAN Catalunya triomfant, Ara és hora, segadors. Refrain Que tremoli l’enemic, |
ENGLISH Catalonia triumphant, Strike with your sickle! Now is the time, reapers. Refrain May the enemy tremble, |
