La Balanguera (Anthem of Mallorca)
La Balanguera is the official anthem of Mallorca. On 4th November 1996 the Island Council of Mallorca elevated it to the official category of the island’s anthem after a process of debate and voting in the plenary session of the institution.
La Balanguera is the result of an adaptation of a poem by Joan Alcover i Maspons (1854-1926). To write it, the poet was inspired by an old and popular Mallorcan nursery rhyme. The music is by the Catalan composer Amadeu Vives (1871-1932).
Information on the Royal Decree that establishes the anthems can be found in the Official State Gazette.
The symbolism of ‘La Balanguera’, Hymn of Mallorca
Culture of Mallorca: The symbolism of ‘La Balanguera’, the official anthem of Mallorca, is complex and profound. Without claiming to be a literary analysis, here is a very brief commentary on some of the symbols that jump out in our interpretation of a first reading of the poem.
In short, La Balanguera is a character who weaves life, representing the continuity and the becoming of the island. La Balanguera is a hymn that, from the vitality of the present, exalts the Mallorcan identity, honours its rich past and celebrates hope for the future.
Some metaphors used
The spinning wheel, the spindle and the thread: The Balanguera, symbolised as a spider, weaves the thread of life, representing the destiny of the island and the cyclical connection between the different generations.
The reapers: In Greek mythology, the reapers are a personification of the concept of destiny. La Balanguera introduces a direct analogy to one of these figures. The grim reaper who ponders and decides, showing the inevitability of the passing of time and death.
The memory of Mallorcan ancestry and lineage: La Balanguera recalls Mallorca’s past, traditions and history.
Hope for the future: It weaves the flag for the youth, symbolising hope and the continuation of tradition.
Idea of cyclical continuity: The poem evokes the continuity of the life cycle. The Balanguera, a female figure who spins the thread of destiny, can be interpreted as a symbol of life itself, with her continuous work as a reflection of the passing of time and the succession of generations. This idea could be interpreted as an effort to symbolise the life cycle and the continuity of life, from childhood that climbs to old age that passes… the Balanguera spins the thread of destiny.
Lyrics and translation of La Balanguera, Mallorca’s official anthem
(Adopción en inglés)
O mysterious Balanguera,
like a spider of fine art,
her spinning wheel emptieth
and off our lives it pulleth.
Like a Parca she pondereth,
and seweth well tomorrow’s cloth.
The Balanguera spinneth, spinneth,
shall the Balanguera spin.
Her glimpse to history she turneth,
O’er shades of ancestry she watcheth,
and the new spring she owneth;
Of the seed’s cover she knoweth,
and that the stump can climb higher,
and the deeper its roots can go.
The Balanguera spinneth, spinneth,
shall the Balanguera spin.
Of traditions and of hopes
The flag for the youth she weaveth
as one who a wedding veil prepareth
with hairs of gold and silver
of the cradle that groweth
of the old age that departeth.
The Balanguera spinneth, spinneth,
shall the Balanguera spin.
Texto original (Catalán)
La Balanguera misteriosa,
com una aranya d’art subtil,
buida que buida sa filosa,
de nostra vida treu el fil.
Com una parca bé caviŀla
teixint la tela per demà
La Balanguera fila, fila,
la Balanguera filarà.
Girant l’ullada cap enrera
guaita les ombres de l’avior,
i de la nova primavera
sap on s’amaga la llavor.
Sap que la soca més s’enfila
com més endins pot arrelar
La Balanguera fila, fila,
la Balanguera filarà.
De tradicions i d’esperances
tix la senyera pel jovent
com qui fa un vel de noviances
amb cabelleres d’or i argent
de la infantesa qui s’enfila
de la vellura qui se’n va.
La Balanguera fila, fila,
la Balanguera filarà
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