“Flor de Tangerina” (Alceu Valença, 2002)
Source: Prefeitura de Olinda, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Yet another Brazilian music icon turned 80 earlier this week: Alceu Valença was born July 1, 1946, in rural Pernambuco state. Among his extensive oeuvre is this sweet little song, which was the theme song for the 2016 Brazilian telenovela “Velho Chico” (“Old Chico” but for some reason the English title is “Old River”).
“Flor de Tangerina”
Hoje eu sonhei que ela voltava
E vinha muito mais que linda
À meia-luz me acordava
Cheirando à flor de tangerina
Eu lhe amava e mergulhava
No seu olhar de onça-menina
E docemente me afogava
Em suas águas cristalinas
Depois sonhei que ela voltava
E dessa vez bem mais que linda
À meia-luz me afagava
E sua pele era tão fina
Quando acordei, meu bem chegava
Seria onça ou menina?
Chegar assim, de madrugada
Cheirando à flor de tangerina
Cheirando à flor
“Tangerine Flower”
Today I dreamed that she was coming back
And would arrive much more than beautiful
In the dim light she would wake me
Smelling of tangerine flower
I would love her and plunge
Into her puma-woman gaze
And I would sweetly drown myself
In her crystal waters
Later I dreamed that she would come back
And this time much more than beautiful
In the dim light she would caress me
And her skin would be so fine
When I awoke, my love would arrive
Would she be puma or woman?
Arriving like that, in the wee hours
Smelling of tangerine flower
Smelling of flowers