“Saudades do Tempo” (Maneva, 2009)
I’m pretty sure that sometime earlier this month Tales de Polli, the lead singer of Maneva, celebrated his 39th birthday. There’s some conflicting information on the internet so I’m not completely sure of that date or that age, but I am completely sure that he’s the lead singer of Maneva and that this is a beautiful song with deeply poetic lyrics.
I’ve mentioned the word “saudade” quite a bit. It has so many resonances in Portuguese - and different ones in Brazil than in Portugal or Africa, for example. I could have translated it several different ways here - or even left it in Portuguese - but I feel like the word really is being used to focus on the idea of nostalgia and longing just as those words resonate in English.
“Saudades do Tempo”
Saudades do tempo, dos velhos momentos
Dos anos passados que foram com o vento
Sorrisos, lembranças, belos sentimentos
De transformações e de renascimentos
Praias, viagens pela madrugada
Nossa rotina era o pé na estrada
Sempre felizes sem pensar em nada
Paisagem mais bela é o sorriso da amada
Contava as estrelas, manto prateado
Sentia o calor de um abraço apertado
Fazia minha boca tocar o seu lábio
Lua iluminava com Bob no rádio
Nas manhãs nubladas, bom humor imperava
A vida era um jogo, sem cartas marcadas
À noite, no fogo, um bom som que rolava
Por entre a fumaça, diversas risadas
Como se seus ouvidos pudessem respirar
O som invadia o corpo, como se fosse o ar
O som tomava forma, sensação de bem estar
Momentos de magia, muitas formas para amar
Marcas de batom na borda de um copo plástico
No peito euforia, abraços, riso fácil
E com desconhecidos seguia criando laços
Transpirava alegria, era dona dos seus passos
Consciência admirável, como as tintas de uma tela
Seus olhos tinham o brilho das cores da aquarela
Seu cabelo ao vento era a paisagem mais bela
Tinha a complexidade de uma Vênus moderna
Ascendeu ao azul do céu nos seus próprios pensamentos
Não pensou no seu futuro, ela era o momento
Vi a ponta dos seus pés no gelado do cimento
Entre olhares, meu desejo povoar seu pensamento
“Longing for the Time”
Longing for the time, for the old moments
Of years past that were taken by the wind
Smiles, memories, good feelings
Of transformations and of rebirths
Beaches, traveling at dawn
Our routine was hitting the road
Always happy without thinking about anything
The most beautiful landscape is a loved one’s smile
She counted the stars, a silvery shroud
I felt the heat of a tight hug
She made my mouth touch her lip
The moon shone with Bob on the radio
On cloudy mornings, good humor reigned
Life was a game, without marked cards
At night, around the fire, good tunes playing
Among the smoke, so many laughs
As if her ears could breathe
The music invaded her body, as if it were air
The music took shape, a feeling of well-being
Moments of magic, many ways to love
Lipstick marks on the edge of a plastic cup
Euphoria in her chest, hugs, easy laughter
And she kept creating bonds with strangers
She exuded happiness, she was the owner of her footsteps
Admirable awareness, like the colors on a screen
Her eyes had the brilliance of a watercolor
Her hair in the wind was the most beautiful landscape
She had the complexity of a modern Venus
She rose into the blue of the sky rise in her own thoughts
She didn’t think about the future, she was the moment
I saw the tips of her toes on the cold of the cement
Between looks, my desire populating her thoughts