Today Malta is commemorating Malta's national poet, Dun Karm Psaila’s 63rd death anniversary.

A priest with an incredible talent for poetry and prose, Dun Karm will forever be regarded as one of the best writers the Maltese islands have ever witnessed.

He started off writing predominantly in Italian, before switching to Maltese – a perfect example of his love for the islands.

Whilst all of Dun Karm’s works are to be commended, there are a couple of stand-outs that left a huge impact on Maltese literature.

With that being said, here are seven of Dun Karm’s most memorable works.

1. L-Innu Malti

Easily the most iconic piece out of all of his works, the Maltese national anthem, or L-Innu Malti, will forever be a symbol of national pride. This hymn was written back in 1922 and was officially adopted as the country’s national anthem in 1964.

2. The Maltese translation of Dei Sepolcri by Ugo Foscolo

Dun Karm set out to translate this extremely long and well-known Italian poem about the transcendence of death into Maltese in order to have more people read it. He even added his own coda at the end of the poem, otherwise known as concluding introspective remarks.

3. Il-Jien u Lil Hinn Minnu

Perhaps his second most well-known work, Il-Jien u Lil Hinn Minnu is bound to leave readers of all ages contemplating their existence in relation to God – a being of absolute power. This strong piece of art will continue to be relevant for many years to come.

4. Quddiem Xbieha tal-Madonna

As mentioned earlier, Dun Karm started off his career writing in Italian. Quddiem Xbieha tal-Madonna will, therefore, always be remembered as the first Maltese poem he ever published.

5. Wied Qirda

In this 1933 sonnet, Dun Karm sits in the valley of his home village of Haz-Zebbug as he admires the beauty of simple Maltese life in the countryside. He even writes in a Zebbugi dialect, making it feel extremely authentic.

6. Lil Mikiel Anton Vassalli

Mikiel Anton Vassalli is regarded as the father of the Maltese language due to his constant efforts to develop Maltese and give it the respect it deserves. It is for this reason that Dun Karm wrote this sonnet, praising and giving thanks to Vassalli for all that he’s done for Malta and its language. 

7. The Maltese and English Dictionary

Between 1947 and 1955, Dun Karm published a Maltese to English dictionary in a bid to help speakers of both English and Maltese learn the other language.

Maria Graziella Cassar / Facebook, City of Zebbug / Facebook