Text & Translation
Un Home, San Antonio!
Spanish source:
Rosalia de Castro
Dádeme un home,
Anque me mate,
Anque m' esfole.
Meu Santo San Antonio,
Daime un homiño,
Anqu'ó tamaño teña
D'un gran de millo.
Daimo, meu Santo,
Anqu'os pés teña coxos,
Mancos os brazos.
Unha muller sin home...
¡Santo bendito!
E corpiño sin alma,
Festa sin trigo.
Pau viradoiro,
Qu' onda queira que vaya,
Troncho que troncho.
Mais en tend' un homiño,
¡Virxe do Carme!
Non hay mundo que chegue
Para un folgarse.
Que zamb' ou trenco,
Sempr' é bó ter un home
Para un remedio!
A man, Saint Antonio!
English translation ©
Richard Stokes
Give me a man,
Even if he mistreats me,
Even if he dishonours me.
Please, Saint Antonio,
Give me a little man,
Even if he be no bigger
Than a grain of millet.
Give him to me, please, Saint,
Even if his feet be crippled,
And maimed his arms.
A wife without a man . . .
Blessed Saint!
Is a body without a soul,
A fiesta without bread,
A useless spinning post
That wherever it goes
Cuts here and there to no avail.
But having a man,
Virgin of Carmen,
If one has a man,
There is no end to joy!
Even if he is knock-kneed,
Always to have a man
Is the remedy!
Translation © Richard Stokes, author of A French Song Companion (Oxford, 2000)
Un Home, San Antonio!
Spanish source:
Rosalia de Castro
A man, Saint Antonio!
English source:
Richard Stokes
San Antonio bendito,
Blessed Saint Antonio,
Dádeme un home,
Give me a man,
Anque me mate,
Even if he mistreats me,
Anque m' esfole.
Even if he dishonours me.
Meu Santo San Antonio,
Please, Saint Antonio,
Daime un homiño,
Give me a little man,
Anqu'ó tamaño teña
Even if he be no bigger
D'un gran de millo.
Than a grain of millet.
Daimo, meu Santo,
Give him to me, please, Saint,
Anqu'os pés teña coxos,
Even if his feet be crippled,
Mancos os brazos.
And maimed his arms.
Unha muller sin home...
A wife without a man . . .
¡Santo bendito!
Blessed Saint!
E corpiño sin alma,
Is a body without a soul,
Festa sin trigo.
A fiesta without bread,
Pau viradoiro,
A useless spinning post
Qu' onda queira que vaya,
That wherever it goes
Troncho que troncho.
Cuts here and there to no avail.
Mais en tend' un homiño,
But having a man,
¡Virxe do Carme!
Virgin of Carmen,
Non hay mundo que chegue
If one has a man,
Para un folgarse.
There is no end to joy!
Que zamb' ou trenco,
Even if he is knock-kneed,
Sempr' é bó ter un home
Always to have a man
Para un remedio!
Is the remedy!
Composer
Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre
Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquis of the Gardens of Aranjuez, was a Spanish composer and a virtuoso pianist.
Poet
Rosalia de Castro
María Rosalía Rita de Castro was a Galician romanticist writer and poet.