Juan Luis Guerra is an established Latin idol from the Dominican Republic who has been writing and singing music – usually merengue or bachata – for many years now.
Though his music is superb, what stands out to me is the poetic quality of his lyrics.
Since singing in the shower is an excellent way to improve your Spanish, this gives me a good excuse for translating a couple of his songs for you.
You, of course, must seek the music, which nowadays is not hard to do.
This task, however, presents me with a problem: literal or poetic?
I am in the midst of directing a Shakespeare play in Spanish, and sometimes the loss of poetry offends my ear. Consider, for example, that “Captain of our fairy band, /Helena is here at hand; / And the youth, mistook by me, / Pleading for a lover’s fee. /
Shall we their fond pageant see? / Lord, what fools these mortals be!” becomes (alas!) “Capitán de nuestra banda de hadas, / Helena está aquí, / y el joven a quien yo confundí / ruega la propriedad de su amante. / ¿Veremos nosotros esta aficionada farsa? / ¡Señor, qué tontos son estos mortales!”
It’s still worth doing, but let’s face it, some things are simply too exquisite to translate – unless, that is, it is by another true poet, who must change the text completely to render its splendor.
In other words, if I take the poetic route, you probably won’t get an adequate idea of what you are singing at any given moment. If I take the literal route, the English version will sound a bit strange.
So be it. It is language learning with which we are concerned here, not poetry, so here are a couple of Guerra’s songs from one of his early albums, “Bachata Rosa.” I have tried to translate them as literally as possible, without, that is, losing the meaning entirely.
Songs by Juan Luis Guerra
Burbujas de Amor
Tengo un corazón
Mutilado de esperanza y
de razón
Tengo un corazón
Que madruga dondequiera
Y ese corazón
Se desnuda de impaciencia
ante tu voz
Pobre corazón
Que no atrapa su cordura
Quisiera ser un pez
Para tocar mi nariz en tu
pecera
Y hacer burbujas de amor
por dondequiera
Pasar la noche en vela
Mojado en ti
Un pez
Para bordar de corales tu
cintura
Y hacer siluetas de amor
bajo la luna
Saciar esta locura
Mojado en ti
Canta, corazón
Con una ancla imprescindible
de ilusión
Sueña, corazón
No te nubles de
amargura
Y ese corazón
Se desnuda de impaciencia
ante tu voz
Pobre corazón
Que no atrapa su cordura
Quisiera ser…
Una noche para hundirse
hasta el fin
Cara a cara, beso a beso
Y vivir para siempre
Mojado en ti
Bubbles of Love
I have a heart
Mutilated by hope and
reason
I have a heart
That wakes up early
wherever
And this heart
Strips itself with impatience
before your voice
Poor heart
That cannot hang onto its
sanity
I would like to be a fish
To touch my nose to your
aquarium
And make love bubbles
anywhere
Spend a sleepless night
Bathed (wet) in you
A fish
To embroider your waist
with corals
And make love silhouettes
under the moon
Satiate this madness
Bathed in you
Sing, heart
With an essential anchor of
hope
Dream, heart
Don’t cloud up with
bitterness
And this heart
Strips itself with impatience
before your voice
Poor heart
That cannot hang onto its
sanity
I would like to be…
One night to sink to the
bottom
Face to face, kiss to kiss
And live forever
Bathed in you
Estrellitas y Duendes
Viviré en tu recuerdo
Como un simple aguacero
De estrellitas y duendes
Vagaré por tu vientre
Mordiendo cada ilusión
Vivirás en mis sueños
Como tinte indeleble
Como mancha de acero
No se olvida el idioma
Cuando dos hacen amor
Me tosté en tus
mejillas
Como el sol en la tarde
Se descarta mi cuerpo
Y no vivo un segundo
Para decirte que sin ti
muero
Me quedé en tus pupilas,
mi bien
Ya no cierro los ojos
Me tiré al más
hondo
Y me ahogo en los mares
de tu partida
De tu partida
Andaré sin saberlo
Calzaré de tu cuerpo
Como huellas en niebla
Comeré lo que sobre
dentro de tu corazón
Y será un mar desierto
Una frase silente
La elegía de un beso
Un planeta de cielos
escupiendo una canción
Me tosté…
Little Stars and Elves
I will live in your memory
Like a simple rainstorm
Of little stars and elves
I will wander over your belly
Biting every hope
You will live in my dreams
Like indelible ink
Like a steel stain
Language is not forgotten
When two make love
I basked in your face
(cheeks)
Like the sun in the afternoon
My body is discarded
And I don’t live a moment
But to tell you that without
you I die
I remained in your pupils,
my darling
I no longer close my eyes
I threw myself in the
deepest part
And I drown in the seas of
your departure
Of your departure
I’ll go on without knowing
I’ll put on your body
Like tracks in fog
I will eat what is left over
within your heart
And it will be a deserted sea
A silent sentence
The elegy of a kiss
A planet of heavens spitting
out a song
I basked…
