Happy Birthday, Nara Leão!
Known as the muse of bossa nova, Nara Leão was also a vocal political voice and she figured prominently in the Tropicalia movement. She also participated in Chico Buarque’s musical for children, Os Saltimbancos, singing the role of the cat. In honor of what would have been her 71st birthday, here’s my translation of that song.
“Story of a Cat”
They fed me, wow
They pet me, wow
They lured me, ow
They tamed me, ow
My world was the apartment
Insecticide, cushion, and care
Filet mignon every day
Or even a good filet… of cat
They told me all the time
Stay home, don’t go out
But it’s hard to stay in
When so many cats
Are in the moonlit streets
Singing every night like this
We cats were born already poor
But we’re born already free
Master, mistress, or landlord
Felines shall not recognize
I came home in the morning
I was blocked at the door
No filet and no cushion
Because of all the singing
But now my daily life
Is with the alley cats
Straying in the streets
I’m more myself, more cat
In a crazy serenade
That goes out singing at night like this
We cats were born already poor
But we’re born already free
Master, mistress, or landlord
Felines shall not recognize
Translation note: Chico’s brilliant lyrics start the first several lines with what sounds like a meow, by using a very natural “me” + “verb starting with a vowel” construction common to Brazilian Portuguese. My pale imitation of this is to add a “wow” or “ow” after me in English to try to get the same effect.