“Codinome Beija-Flor” (Cazuza, 1985)
Source: CAFé Simone Pedaços (original version), remix pelo uploader, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
On what would have been Cazuza’s 67th birthday, a translation of the incredible haunting, poetic, and romantic “Codinome Beija-Flor” from his first solo album “Exagerado” (which means “exaggerated” but it’s more nuanced than that). Cazuza himself called this song “bem romântica, inspirada numa separação, mas não é dor de cotovelo” (“very romantic, inspired by a separation, but it’s not about jealousy”). (Note that the idiomatic expression for jealousy in Brazilian Portuguese translates literally as “elbow pain.") The title of this song may be its most interesting linguistic element: The word for “hummingbird” in Portuguese would literally translate as “flower-kisser” which is perhaps the most apt bird name of all time. Another interesting aspect is the Portuguese word “educação” which is literally “education” in some contexts, but here (and in a lot of places where it is mistranslated as “education”) it means “politeness.” (I think our parallel in English would be when someone is rude and we point out that they were raised better than that.) There are a couple of theories behind the phrase “blender secrets” and the one that seems to best match the song (especially the title) is secrets that are told next to something loud (like a blender) so that others can’t hear.
“Codinome beija flor”
Pra que mentir, fingir que perdoou?
Tentar ficar amigos sem rancor
A emoção acabou
Que coincidência é o amor
A nossa música nunca mais tocou
Pra que usar de tanta educação
Pra destilar terceiras intenções?
Desperdiçando o meu mel
Devagarzinho, flor em flor
Entre os meus inimigos beija-flor
Eu protegi o teu nome por amor
Em um codinome beija-flor
Não responda nunca, meu amor, nunca
Pra qualquer um na rua, beija-flor
Que só eu que podia
Dentro da tua orelha fria
Dizer segredos de liquidificador
Você sonhava acordada
Um jeito de não sentir dor
Prendia o choro e aguava o bom do amor
Prendia o choro e aguava o bom do amor
“Codename Hummingbird”
Why lie, pretend that you forgave?
Try to remain friends with no grudges
The emotion is over
What a coincidence love is
Our song never played again
Why use so much politeness
To distill the intentions of others?
Squandering my honey
Slowly, flower by flower
Among my enemies hummingbird
I protected your name out of love
In a codename hummingbird
Don’t ever respond, my love, never
To anyone on the street, hummingbird
That I was the only one who could
Speak blender secrets
Into your cold ear
You daydreamed
A way to not feel pain
You held your tears and diluted the good of love
You held your tears and diluted the good of love