Songs
Canción de cuna para dormir un negrito
by Xavier Montsalvatge From Cinco canciones negras (1945)
Text & Translation
Canción de cuna para dormir un negrito
Spanish source:
Ildefonso Pereda Valdés
tan chiquitito,
el negrito
que no quiere dormir.
Cabeza de coco,
grano de café,
con lindas motitas,
con ojos grandotes
como dos ventanas
que miran al mar.
Cierra los ojitos,
negrito asustado;
el mandinga blanco
te puede comer.
¡Ya no eres esclavo!
Y si duermes mucho,
el señor de casa
promete comprar
traje con botones
para ser un ‘groom’.
Ninghe, ninghe, ninghe,
duérmete, negrito,
cabeza de coco,
grano de café.
Lullaby for a little black boy
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
tiny little child,
little black boy,
who won’t go to sleep.
Head like a coconut,
head like a coffee bean,
with pretty freckles
and wide eyes
like two windows
looking out to sea.
Close your tiny eyes,
frightened little boy,
or the white devil
will eat you up.
You’re no longer a slave!
And if you sleep soundly,
the master of the house
promises to buy
a suit with buttons
to make you a ‘groom’.
Lullay, lullay, lullay,
sleep, little black boy,
head like a coconut,
head like a coffee bean.
Translations by Jacqueline Cockburn and Richard Stokes published in the The Spanish Song Companion (Gollancz, 1992)
Canción de cuna para dormir un negrito
Spanish source:
Ildefonso Pereda Valdés
Lullaby for a little black boy
English source:
Richard Stokes
Ninghe, ninghe, ninghe,
Lullay, lullay, lullay,
tan chiquitito,
tiny little child,
el negrito
little black boy,
que no quiere dormir.
who won’t go to sleep.
Cabeza de coco,
Head like a coconut,
grano de café,
head like a coffee bean,
con lindas motitas,
with pretty freckles
con ojos grandotes
and wide eyes
como dos ventanas
like two windows
que miran al mar.
looking out to sea.
Cierra los ojitos,
Close your tiny eyes,
negrito asustado;
frightened little boy,
el mandinga blanco
or the white devil
te puede comer.
will eat you up.
¡Ya no eres esclavo!
You’re no longer a slave!
Y si duermes mucho,
And if you sleep soundly,
el señor de casa
the master of the house
promete comprar
promises to buy
traje con botones
a suit with buttons
para ser un ‘groom’.
to make you a ‘groom’.
Ninghe, ninghe, ninghe,
Lullay, lullay, lullay,
duérmete, negrito,
sleep, little black boy,
cabeza de coco,
head like a coconut,
grano de café.
head like a coffee bean.
Composer
Xavier Montsalvatge
Xavier Montsalvatge i Bassols was a Spanish composer and music critic.