Text & Translation
A menina e a canção
Portuguese source:
Mário Raul de Andrade
A menina esganiçada, magriça,
com a saia voejando por cima dos joelhos em nó,
Vinha meio dansando, cantando, ao crepusculo escuro.
Batia compasso com a varinha, na poeira da calçada.
De repente voltou-se para a negra velha que vinha
tropegando atraz, enorme trouxa de roupa a cabeça:
«Qué mi da, vó?» … Nâ-âo.
The girl and her song
English translation ©
Thomas Dervan
The skinny, shrill little girl
her skirt fluttering above her bony knees
came along half dancing, singing, in the dim twilight.
She marked the beat with her stick on the dust-covered pavement. Suddenly she turned toward the old black woman
that stumbled along behind her, with an enormous bundle of clothes atop her head:
"What you got for me, Nana?" ... Not one thing.
A menina e a canção
Portuguese source:
Mário Raul de Andrade
The girl and her song
English source:
Thomas Dervan
Tralilarara trarila trarila.
Tra-lil-a-ra-ra, tra-ri-la, tra-ri-la.
A menina esganiçada, magriça,
The skinny, shrill little girl
com a saia voejando por cima dos joelhos em nó,
her skirt fluttering above her bony knees
Vinha meio dansando, cantando, ao crepusculo escuro.
came along half dancing, singing, in the dim twilight.
Batia compasso com a varinha, na poeira da calçada.
She marked the beat with her stick on the dust-covered pavement. Suddenly she turned toward the old black woman
De repente voltou-se para a negra velha que vinha
that stumbled along behind her, with an enormous bundle of clothes atop her head:
tropegando atraz, enorme trouxa de roupa a cabeça:
"What you got for me, Nana?" ... Not one thing.
«Qué mi da, vó?» … Nâ-âo.
Composer
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, pianist, and guitarist.
