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Sosiego en la noche (1943)

Serenity in the Night
lyrics by Carlos Bahr

On the soft bed where silence stretches out
the hours repose in their profound fatigue
and the night dreams, cradled by the wind
as it spills out all the aromas it carries.
Soon, melding with the sound of a herd
yearning for the tenderness of dreams
the voice of the road rings out from the depths
throbbing in the cattle drover’s cry:

“Huija, oh oh!”
The chirp of cicadas, the chime of cowbells,
the murmur of hooves striking the soil
as their soft sound is swallowed up by silence.
The star-filled landscape, the scent of pennyroyal,
and afar where the night cuts across the path,
the sky and the pampas both melt into shadow.

Orq. Aníbal Troilo, singer Francisco Fiorentino

Orq. Rodolfo Biagi, singer Carlos Acuña

(Spanish original after the jump)

Sosiego en la noche

En el blando lecho que tiende el silencio,
recuestan su grave cansancio las horas
y duerme la noche mecida en el viento
que pasa volcando su carga de aromas.
A ratos, mezclado al rumor de la tropa
que cruza añorando blanduras de sueño,
la voz del camino se escucha muy honda
latiendo en el grito que lanza el tropero.

¡Huija… oh… oh…!
Chasquear de coscojos, sonar de cencerros,
rumor de los cascos batiendo en el suelo,
con sordo sonido que engulle el silencio.
Paisaje de estrellas, olor de poleo,
y allá donde corta la noche el sendero,
las sombras confunden la pampa y el cielo

About Derrick Del Pilar

Born and raised in Chicago, I came to the tango while studying at the Universidad de Belgrano in Buenos Aires in 2006. In 2008 I earned my B.A. with majors in Creative Writing and Spanish & Portuguese from the University of Arizona, and in 2009 I earned an M.A. in Latin American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. My specialty is the history & literature of early 20th century Argentina.

Discussion

3 thoughts on “Sosiego en la noche (1943)

  1. Hi There, Would it be possible for you to add “Una Vez” by Orquesta Tipica Victor? Also, I have been looking for other recordings of it (by other orquestas), but haven’t had any success. Do you happen to know if any other orchestra recorded it as well? Thanks in advance!

    Posted by Janine | 05.09.2012, 12:37 PM
    • Hi Janine,
      That is a lovely song, and I actually have a rough draft of it…next in line however is a Di Sarli/Podestá song, but I will post “Una vez” soon after that. There is a song called “Una vez” by Pugliese with Alberto Morán singing, but the lyrics are completely different. So I don’t know if that song has been recorded by anyone but OTV…I’ll ask that question on the TangoDJ listserv!
      Abrazos,
      Derrick

      Posted by poesiadegotan | 05.11.2012, 8:29 AM
  2. Dear Derek,

    Thanks for your translation. I must admit, it sounds (translation) very poetic and the imagery coneys the calmness, anticipation, and the beauty of dawn . For someone like me who does not know Spanish, but only goes by the mood of the music, this is very useful. I will now know what I play. 🙂 In this case, Troilo/Fiorentino do justice to words.

    Thanks once again.

    Posted by Harish Ganesh | 12.23.2013, 10:35 AM

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