The poem “Las montañas de mi tierra” was written by Miguel de Unamuno (1864 – 1936). He was a Spanish Basque philosopher, writer and poet. This poem comes from his first collection of poetry called Poesías (Poems) from 1907. Spain is one of the themes of these poems and it’s the main theme of this poem.

Below you can listen to a recording of “Las montañas de mi tierra” and read along with the text, followed by an English translation…

MP3 Recording of Las montañas de mi tierra

Las montañas de mi tierra
(Poesías: Vizcaya)

Las montañas de mi tierra
en el mar se miran,
y los robles que las visten
salina respiran.

De mi tierra el mar bravío
briza a la montañas,
y ellas se duermen sintiendo
mar en las entrañas.

¡Oh mi Vizcaya marina
tierra montañesa,
besan al cielo tus cumbres
y el mar te besa!

Tu hondo mar y tus montañas
llevo yo en mí mismo,
copa me diste en los cielos
raíz en el abismo.

English Translation:

The Mountains of My Land
(Poems: Biscay)

The mountains of my land
Look at themselves in the sea
And the oak trees that dress them
Breathe in a salty pond.

The wild sea of my land
Rocks the mountains
And they fall asleep feeling
The sea in their guts.

Oh! My coastal Biscay,
Mountainous land,
Your summits kiss the sky
And the sea kisses you!

Your deep sea and your mountains,
I carry within myself,
A crown you gave me in the heavens,
A root in the abyss.

You can hear the poem sung here on YouTube.

Translation: By Lisa Yannucci and Monique Palomares.
Recording: By Anusha Iyer.
Image: Bunch of youths at Gorliz Beach in the evening. Beyond the bay, the beach and cliffs of Barrika; further in the background, other capes of the Cantabric Coast, Wikimedia, cc.