The stirring music first appeared as March of the Men of Harlech in Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards (Edward Jones, London 1784). The song was first published in Gems of Welsh Melody (ed. John Owen, “Owain Alaw”, 1860), the Welsh lyrics by “Talhaiarn”, the English by W.H. Baker.
March ye men of Harlech bold, Unfurl your banners in the field,
Be brave as were your sires of old, And like them never yield!
What tho’ evry hill and dale, Echoes now with war’s alarms,
Celtic hearts can never quail, When Cambria calls to arms.
By each lofty mountain, By each crystal fountain,
By your homes where those you love Await your glad returning,
Let each thought and action prove, True glory can the Cymru move,
And as each blade gleams in the light, Pray “God defend the right!”
Clans from Mona wending, Now with Arvon blending,
Haste with rapid strides along The path that leads to glory,
From Snowdon’s hills with harp and song, And Nantlle’s vale proceeds a throng,
Whose ranks with yours shall proudly vie, “And nobly win or die!”
March ye men of Harlech go, Lov’d fatherland your duty claims,
Onward comes the Saxon foe, His footsteps mark’d in flames;
But his march breeds no dismay, Boasting taunts we meet with scorn,
Craven like their hosts shall flee Like mists before the morn.
On the foemen dashing, Swords and bucklers clashing;
Smite with will their savage band Nor think of e’er retreating:
But with a firm unflinching hand, In blood quench ev’ry burning brand,
And for each roof tree cast away A Saxon life shall pay.
Thus each bosom nerving, From no danger swerving,
Soon shall the invader feel The doom of fate rewarding;
They firmly grasp the flashing steel, And as ye strike for Cymru’s weal,
Be this your cry, till life’s last breath – “Our Liberty or Death!”
“Men of Harlech” or “The March of the Men of Harlech” (in Welsh: Rhyfelgyrch Gwyr Harlech) is a song and military march which is traditionally said to describe events during the seven year long siege of Harlech Castle between 1461 and 1468. Commanded by Constable Dafydd ap Ieuan the garrison held out in what is the longest known siege in the history of the British Isles. “Through Seven Years” is an alternate name for the song. Now some associate the song with the earlier shorter siege of Harlech Castle around 1408, which pitted the forces of Owain Glyndŵr against the future Henry V of England.”
“Men of Harlech” is sometimes mistaken for the national anthem of Wales. This is incorrect; the Welsh anthem is “Hen Wlad fy Nhadau” (“Land of my Fathers”). Still, the song occupies an important place in Welsh national culture. It is often the regimental march of regiments historically associated with Wales. The Royal Regiment of Wales, now the Royal Welsh (UK), the Royal Canadian Hussars (Montreal) and the Governor General’s Horse Guards, Canadian Forces are three examples.
The music was first published in 1784 as March of the Men of Harlech in Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards. It first appeared with lyrics in “Gems of Welsh Melody,” edited by the Welsh poet, John Owen (“Owain Alaw”), published in London, England and Wrexham, Wales in 1860. The Welsh lyrics are by the bard John Jones (Talhaiarn), and the English lyrics by W.H. Baker. Since then, many different versions of the English lyrics have appeared.
The song gained international recognition when it was featured prominently in the film Zulu (Video), although the version of lyrics sung in it were written especially for the film.