The Milonga of Buenos Aires
lyrics by Ivo Pelay
To the sound of your majesty
today I saw you pass
through my big city
and in you I discovered
an exact copy
of one that I had forgotten,
and that, like you,
was a porteña…
You are the flower of Buenos Aires,
the prime little porteña,
worthy granddaughter of the beautiful one
who used to walk majestically
through that big village
of colonial windows
and Federalist* troops on patrol.
You are the flower of Buenos Aires
the little idolized porteña
faithful copy of that iconic image
that has been gone a long time.
Orquesta Francisco Canaro, singer Ernesto Famá
(Spanish original after the jump)
La milonga de Buenos Aires
Al son de tu majestad
hoy pasar te vi
por mi gran ciudad,
y en vos descubrí
que la copia sos
de una que olvidé,
y que, como vos,
porteña fue…
Sos la flor de Buenos Aires,
porteñita primorosa,
digna nieta de la bella
que paseaba majestuosa,
en aquella gran aldea
de ventanas coloniales
y patrullas federales.
Sos la flor de Buenos Aires
porteñita idolatrada,
copia fiel de aquella estampa
que hace tiempo que se fue.
Here does the “you” refer to a woman he had known in the past, or is it the milonga itself which is personified as a woman?
Posted by Vishu | 09.25.2010, 7:29 AMEither. Or both.
.
That’s the thing about poetry and lyrics…sometimes they are intentionally ambiguous.
Though since the first line is, “At the sound of your majesty,” that will perhaps color most people’s interpretation.
Posted by poesiadegotan | 09.25.2010, 6:11 PM