La Espero

La Espero

English: The Hope
L. L. Zamenhof, the author of La Espero.
anthem of Esperanto
Lyrics	L. L. Zamenhof
Music	Félicien Menu de Ménil
Adopted	1891
Music sample
Instrumental recording

"La Espero" ("The Hope") is a poem written by Polish-Jewish oculist and doctor L. L. Zamenhof (1859–1917), the initiator of the Esperanto language. The song is often used as the anthem of Esperanto, and is now usually sung to a triumphal march composed by Félicien Menu de Ménil in 1909 (although there is an earlier, less martial tune created in 1891 by Claes Adelsköld, as well as a number of others less well-known). It is sometimes referred to as the hymn of the Esperanto movement.

Some Esperantists object to the use of terms like "hymn" or "anthem" for La Espero, arguing that these terms have religious and nationalist overtones respectively.

Incidentally the current day Israeli national anthem Hatikvah also translates to "the hope" and is based on a poem written in 1878, first put to music in 1888 and adopted as the anthem of the Zionist movement in 1897.

Lyrics

La Espero

The Hope

En la mondon venis nova sento, tra la mondo iras forta voko; per flugiloj de facila vento nun de loko flugu ĝi al loko. Ne al glavo sangon soifanta ĝi la homan tiras familion: al la mond' eterne militanta ĝi promesas sanktan harmonion. Sub la sankta signo de l' espero kolektiĝas pacaj batalantoj, kaj rapide kreskas la afero per laboro de la esperantoj. Forte staras muroj de miljaroj inter la popoloj dividitaj; sed dissaltos la obstinaj baroj, per la sankta amo disbatitaj. Sur neŭtrala lingva fundamento, komprenante unu la alian, la popoloj faros en konsento unu grandan rondon familian. Nia diligenta kolegaro en laboro paca ne laciĝos, ĝis la bela sonĝo de l' homaro por eterna ben' efektiviĝos.

Into the world came a new feeling, through the world goes a powerful call; by means of wings of a gentle wind now let it fly from place to place. Not to the sword thirsting for blood does it draw the human family: to the world eternally fighting it promises sacred harmony. Under the sacred sign of the hope the peaceful fighters gather, and this affair quickly grows by the labours of those who hope. The walls of millennia stand firm between the divided people; but the stubborn barriers will jump apart, knocked apart by the sacred love. On a neutral language basis, understanding one another, the people will make in agreement one great family circle. Our diligent set of colleagues in peaceful labor will never tire, until the beautiful dream of humanity for eternal blessing is realized.

Videos

• Sung by Aiko Asano ft. Andrej Korobejnikov
• Instrumental version
• Instrumental version, march