Hark, the Herald Angels Sing in Spanish

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing is one of the hundreds of hymns written by Englishman Charles Wesley  in the 19th century. This song has been modified over the many years since; although it is not especially well-known in Spanish-speaking areas, it has been translated to the language in several ways. Here is one set of Spanish lyrics for two of the verses, followed by translation notes for Spanish students: Escuchad el son triunfal Escuchad el son triunfal de la hueste celestial:Paz y buena voluntad; salvacià ³n Dios os darà ¡.Cante hoy toda nacià ³n la angelical cancià ³n;estas nuevas todos den: Nacià ³ Cristo en Belà ©n.  ¡Salve, Prà ­ncipe de Paz! Redencià ³n traà ­do has,luz y vida con virtud, en tus alas la salud.De tu trono has bajado y la muerte conquistadopara dar al ser mortal nacimiento celestial. English Translation of the Spanish Lyrics Listen to the triumphal sound of the celestial host:Peace and good will; God will give us salvation.Each nation, sing today the angelical song;Give this good news: Christ was born in Bethlehem. Hail, Prince of Peace! Redemption you have broughtLight and life with virtue, health in your wings.You have come down from your throne and conquered deathit order to give celestial birth to the mortal being. Translation Notes escuchad: If youve studied only Latin American Spanish, you may not know this verb form well. Its the second-person plural familiar imperative (command) form of escuchar, the form that goes with vosotros. This word, then, means you (plural) listen or simply listen. This verb form is used primarily in Spanish but remains understood in Latin America. el son: This isnt related to son the verb, but is a word meaning sound. In everyday speech, youre far more likely to heard the word sonido. de: De is one of the most common of Spanish prepositions. It is almost always translated as of or from; either translation would work here, while from is the preferred translation in the seventh line. la hueste: This uncommon word has the same meaning as the English cognate host in the context of this song. In plural form, the word gets some modern use with las huestes as a way of saying the army forces. buena voluntad: Literally good will. os darà ¡: Os is an object pronoun meaning you (plural) that youll hear mostly in Spain. So salvacià ³n Dios os darà ¡ means God will give you salvation. In everyday speech, la salvacià ³n would be said, with la being a definite article. Several other definite articles are omitted throughout this song; it is common in poetry to fudge grammar rules to maintain rhythm. cante: Cante here is a subjunctive form of cantar, to sing. Cante hoy cada nacià ³n could be translated as may each nation sing. toda: Toda is the feminine singular form of todo. In singular form, todo typically is the equivalent of each; as plural, it usually means all. estas nuevas: Although not as common as noticias, nuevas is one way of saying news, so estas nuevas would be this news. den: This is a plural command or plural present subjunctive form of dar, to give. estas nuevas todos den: This sentence uses an inverted word order, which is fairly common in song lyrics and poetry. This sentence could be translated as may all give the good news. Belà ©n: The Spanish name for Bethlehem. It is not uncommon for cities, especially those known centuries ago, to have different names in different languages. In modern Spanish, belà ©n has come to refer to a nativity scene or creche. salve: In this song, salve is an interjection of greeting, meaning something like Hail! in English. In other contexts, a salve can be a hymn or a Hail Mary. Redencià ³n traà ­do has: Another case of inverted word order. The typical structure would be Has traà ­do redencià ³n, you have brought redemption. Note that this verse is sung to the Savior rather than about the Savior as in the English version of the hymn. ala: An ala is a wing, as of a bird. This is a metaphorical usage here; en tus alas la salud could very loosely be translated as with healing on your wings. trono: Throne. has bajado: You have come down. Bajado here is an example of a past participle. la muerte conquistado: Another inverted word order. In normal speech, has conquistado la muerte would be more common for you have conquered death. Conquistado here is also a past participle. para: Para is a common preposition that is sometimes used to indicate the purpose or utility of a thing or action. As such, it sometimes is translated as in order to.   ser: Here, ser is functioning as a noun meaning being rather than a verb meaning to be; ser humano is the common way of saying human being. In Spanish, most infinitives can function as nouns. nacimiento: Birth. Nacimiento is a noun form of nacer, to be born.