“Asa Branca” (Luiz Gonzaga, 1947)
In honor of what would have been Luiz Gonzaga’s 112th birthday, I’ve translated his baião song about drought in the Brazilian Northeast, the fourth song on this blog that was part of the soundtrack of the wonderful Roque Santeiro telenovela (joining translations of songs by Zé Ramalho, Dominguinhos, and Ivan Lins). The Portuguese source text here is loaded with markers of rural Brazil (L sounds changed to R sounds, LH sounds dropped or changed to Y/I sounds, the word “até” (“until”) changed to “inté”) and of course the tag “uai” which is pronounced “why” and means absolutely nothing.) which I have not made an effort to keep in the translation. (Maybe for Gonzaga’s 113th….) The “asa branca” of the title is a type of pigeon found throughout southeastern South America. Since “Picazuro pigeon” doesn’t really fit the vibe of this song, I’ve just gone with “pigeon” in the text, but “white wing” in the title (more poetic and metaphoric!).
“Asa branca”
Quando oiei' a terra ardendo
Qual fogueira de São João
Eu preguntei' a Deus do céu, uai
Por que tamanha judiação?
Eu preguntei' a Deus do céu, uai
Por que tamanha judiação?
Que braseiro, que fornaia'
Nenhum pé de prantação'
Por farta' d'água perdi meu gado
Morreu de sede meu alazão
Por farta' d'água perdi meu gado
Morreu de sede meu alazão
Inté' mesmo a asa branca
Bateu asas do sertão
Entonce' eu disse: adeus, Rosinha
Guarda contigo meu coração
Entonce' eu disse: adeus, Rosinha
Guarda contigo meu coração
Hoje longe, muitas légua
Numa triste solidão
Espero a chuva cair de novo
Pra mim vortar' pro meu sertão
Espero a chuva cair de novo
Pra mim vortar' pro meu sertão
Quando o verde dos teus óio'
Se espaiar' na prantação'
Eu te asseguro, não chore, não, viu
Que eu vortarei', viu, meu coração
Eu te asseguro, não chore, não, viu
Que eu vortarei', viu, meu coração
“White wing”
When I saw the earth burning
Like a São João bonfire
I asked god in heaven, uai
Why so much persecution?
(I asked god in heaven, uai
Why so much persecution?)
What a brazier, what a furnace
Not one stalk of crop
For want of water I lost my cattle
My sorrel died of thirst
(For want of water I lost my cattle
My sorrel died of thirst)
Even the pigeon
Took wing from the sertão
So I said: goodbye, Rosinha
Keep my heart with you
(So I said: goodbye, Rosinha
Keep my heart with you)
Today far away, many leagues
In a sad loneliness
I hope the rain falls again
So I can go back to my sertão
(I hope the rain falls again
So I can go back to my sertão)
When the green of your eyes
Spreads over the crops
I assure you, don’t cry, no, see
Cuz I’ll come back, see, my heart
(I assure you, don’t cry, no, see
Cuz I’ll come back, see, my heart)