SPANISH AMERICAN POETS AND COMPOSERS THAT I LOVE
Spanish speaking people are generally very lyrical.
The Spanish language offers a lot of possibilities, with a vast vocabulary and
many figures of speech that can vary from the frankly beautiful to the harsh
and cruel.
Spanish America is famous for its poets, both male and
female. There are various Nobel Prize
winners amongst the well known writers from the various countries of this
fascinating area of the New World.
However, beautiful lyrics are not exclusively produced
by the well known and famous. If you search through the music of the ordinary
everyday composers of the songs and melodies that are popular with the common professional
and working class inhabitants, individuals like you and me, you will very often
find incredible verses that include beautiful combinations of simple words that
evoke the entire range of human feelings and sentiments.
This blog is bilingual, written both in English and in
Spanish. It is a fitting place to portray this poetic tendency by including the
authentic Spanish lyrics and combining them with my free translations, which
are not quite the same as the more commercialized translations that can be
found on the Internet.
My translations come from the heart, and I believe
them to be more authentic.
Let’s try it with one of my favorite Argentine Tangos!
FILETEADO, THE STREET ART OF BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
Source: Sara and Ian of London, CC BY 2.0. Wikimedia Commons
NADA, A TANGO
This composition dates from the Golden Age of Tango,
1935 – 1955. The composer was José Dames, a unique artist in that he didn’t
follow the traditional musical structure of the classic Tango too closely. In
this particular example of his artistic work, he chose to reduce the use of
short chromatic scales and increase the length of the more lyrical passages.
His partner in the composition of the lyrics for Nada
was Horacio Sanguinetti, and the outstanding musical phrasing of the song is
closely matched by the sadness and beauty of the poetry. The result is a really
outstanding and enduring work of art. (1944).
MY VERY FREE TRANSLATION OF THE LYRICS
NADA
I’ve come to
your house, I don’t know how.
I’ve been
told that you’re not in,
that you will never return.
I’ve been
told you've gone away!
A lot of
snow is on my soul.
There’s a
great silence at your door.
Standing at
the threshold,
a padlock of
pain has stopped my heart.
Nothing,
nothing can be seen
at the house where you were born,
only weeds
threaded with cobwebs.
The rosebush
is no more,
it surely
died when you went away…
Such a cross
to bear!
Nothing,
nothing but sadness and stillness…
Nobody can
tell me if you still live…
Where are
you? I want to tell you that, repentant,
I’ve come in
search of your love!
I’m walking away
from your house,
without
knowing where to go…
Unwillingly
I say farewell,
and the echo
of your voice
answers me
out of nowhere.
At the
crosspiece of your padlock,
I have
prayed for your sorrow,
and at your
gate, from my heart
a tear has
rolled down
and turned
into a flower.
NADA
Tango 1944
José Dames and Horacio Sanguinetti
He llegado hasta tu casa…
¡Yo no sé como he podido!
Si me han dicho que no estás,
que ya nunca volverás…
¡Si me han dicho que te has ido!
¡Cuánta nieve hay en mi alma!
¡Qué silencio hay en tu puerta!
Al llegar hasta el umbral,
un candado de dolor
me detuvo el corazón.
Nada, nada queda en tu casa natal…
Sólo telarañas que teje el yuyal.
El rosal tampoco existe
Y es seguro que se ha muerto al irte tú…
¡Todo es una cruz!
Nada, nada más que tristeza y quietud.
Nadie que me diga si vive aún…
¿Dónde estás, para decirte
que hoy he vuelto arrepentido a buscar tu amor?
Ya me alejo de tu casa
y me voy ya ni sé donde…
Sin querer re digo adiós
y hasta el eco de tu voz
de la nada me responde.
En la cruz de tu candado
por tu pena yo he rezado
y ha rodado en tu portón
una lágrima hecha flor
de mi pobre corazón.
MY FAVORITE
LINES FROM THIS SONG.
A PADLOCK OF PAIN...
Source: Nino Barbieri, CC BY 2.0.Wikimedia Commons
“Standing at
the threshold, a padlock of pain has stopped my heart”
”At your
gate, a tear has rolled down and formed a flower”
A ROSE WITH TEAR DROPS
Source: Pixabay Public Domain
For those of
you who can read Spanish, maybe you can find these lines in the Spanish verses,
they are so beautiful!
NADA, SUNG
BY JULIO SOSA
I would be
very happy if you would take the time to listen to this superb verion of NADA”.
The scenes are from the city of Buenos Aires.
Source: YouTube
© 2013
joanveronica (Joan Robertson)
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The song Nada is so dulce. :) Great post - I LOVE Latin American poetry. Neruda and Gabriela Mistral are among my favorites.
ReplyDeleteHi Cyndi, so glad you liked it! And I know I will have at least one visitor when I finally get on to Neruda and our Gabriela! See you!
Deleteah who knew that Nada could be so lovely. Thank you for joining in the fun at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop xo
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi there! Thank YOU for accepting my post on the blog hop! I'm happy you found Nada beautiful! Have a good day.
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