11 May 2008

Hijo de la luna (Son of the moon) by Mecano (Spain)

Spain, Spanish, Songs, Lyrics, translated into English, Latin Music
Hijo de la luna (Son of the moon) by Mecano (Spain)
Translation: Anonymous (somebody posted it on the blog. Thnaks!. I have just added some details)


Tonto el que no entienda (1)
A fool is who doesn't understand
Cuenta una leyenda,
A lengend tells
que una hembra gitana
that a gipsy woman
conjuró a la luna
made spells with the moon (2)
hasta el amanecer.
till dawn
Llorando pedía,
weeping, she begged
al llegar el día,
when the morning comes
desposar un calé.
to marry a "calé" man (3)

Tendrás a tu hombre piel morena,
"you'll have your brown-skin man"
desde el cielo habló la luna llena,
spoke the full moon from the sky
pero a cambio quiero
"but in return I want the
el hijo primero
the first child
que le engendres a él.
that you have with him,"
Que quien a su hijo inmola
One who sacrifices her child
para no estar sola
in order not to be alone
poco le iba a querer.
is not going to love it very much

Estribillo (Refrain)
Luna quieres ser madre
Moon you want to be mother
y no encuentras querer
and you can't find a love
que te haga mujer.
who makes you a woman
¡Dime! luna de plata
Tell me, moon of silver
qué pretendes hacer
what you intend to do
con un niño de piel.
with a child of skin (flesh) (4)
ah, aaaah, Hijo de la Luna.
(ahh ahh) Son of the Moon

De padre canela nació un niño
From a cinnamon-skinned father a son was born
blanco como el lomo de un armiño,
white like the back of an ermine
con los ojos grises
with grey eyes
en vez de aceituna,
instead of olive,
niño albino de luna.
albino child of moon
"¡Maldita su estampa!
"Damn his appearance!
¡Este hijo es de un payo
This is son of a "payo" man (5)
y yo no me lo callo!"
and I wont remain silent about this (I wont put up with this)

Estribillo

Gitano al creerse deshonrado
the gypsy, believing himself dishonored
se fue a su mujer cuchillo en mano
went to his wife, knife in hand
"¿De quién es el hijo?
"Whose son in this?
¡Me has "engañao" fijo!" (5)
I am sure you have deceived me!"
y de muerte la hirió.
and he stabbed her to death
Luego se hizo al monte
then he went to the mountain
con el niño en brazos
with the child in his arms
Y allí le abandonó.
and abandoned it there

Estribillo

Y en las noches que haya luna llena
And on nights when the moon is full
será porque el niño esté de buenas.
it's because the child is happy

Y si el niño llora
and if the child cries
menguará la luna
the moon will wane
para hacerle una cuna.
to make him a cradle
(2x)

Laura´s comments:
(1) This is a popular saying, specially among kids: tonto el último (idot the last one); tonto el que menos corra (idiot who run the less), etc.
(2) Conjuro = Spell, but I dont really know how to say in English the verb "Conjurar"...to make an spell may be??...
(3) For a gipsy, a "calé" is a gipsy. I guess is a very good gipsy, but I ignore the resons why. I guess calé means a pure blood gipsy.

(4) The normal saying would be "un niño de carne y hueso" = a flesh and bone child.
(5) For a gipsy, a "payo" is a non gipsy white person. As an example, I would be a "paya" for a gipsy.
(6) Engañado. Gispsies use to speak with a sort of Andalusian accent, also shortening words and not pronouncing endings.

*************************************************************************************************************


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I rarely post anonymous but I'll have to make an exception because it's very personal to me. I know the song very well but this was the first time I read it with the translation. Believe it or not, being a man in his late thirthies, I cried.