Yesterday we were saddened to hear the news that the singer-songwriter Ramon Muntaner (1950-2021) died.
He was part of the 1960s-1970s Nova Cançó movement, the first brave ones to openly sing in the Catalan language and with lyrics against the Spanish fascist dictatorship (1939-1978). Known for his love songs as well as his fight songs, Ramon Muntaner also turned into song the poems of many Catalan authors.
In his memory we share this song he composed for the soundtrack of the film La Plaça del Diamant, based on the novel of the same name (in English, translated as In Diamond Square or The Time of the Doves) by Mercè Rodoreda, about the experiences of a working class Catalan woman during the Civil War and the post-war period. In my opinion, he captured perfectly the essence of the book (which we talked about in this previous post) and, in doing so, of the time it talks about.
Here’s the original lyrics in Catalan and the translation to English:
Tens els ulls plens de paraules, la vida estesa al davant, aparador de joguines cançons fàcils de cantar. Cançó d'un temps de tramvies i carrers mal empedrats; dies de sol i de pluja, barri amunt i barri avall.
Your eyes are full of words, your life laid in front of you [note: “estesa” can mean both laid out or hang up, like wet clothes to dry], a toy shop window, songs easy to sing. Song of a time of trams and badly paved streets; days of sun and rain, up and down the neighbourhood.
Nits de lluna plena, Somnis d'envelat, Bella com una princesa d'algun vell conte d'infants, et veig ballar un vals de punta a la Plaça del Diamant.
Full moon nights, marquee dreams [note: marquees are set during local festivities to dance, in fact the book starts with a celebration in a marquee in Diamond Square, a real square in Barcelona], beautiful like a princess in some old children’s tale, I see you dancing a tiptoe waltz in Diamond Square.
I tu, al terrat, estenent la roba o asseguda cosint sola, amb la tarda, i voltada de baranes, de vent i de blau.
And you, on the terrace, hanging out clothes or sitting down sewing alone with the afternoon and surrounded by handrails, wind and blue.
Sentir que passen els dies com si fos un joc d'atzar: una rosa per Sant Jordi i flors negres per Tots Sants.
Feel that days pass as if it were a game of chance: a rose for Sant Jordi [Catalan tradition of love’s day, read about it here] and black flowers for All Saints [tradition of death’s day, read about it here].
Xerrameca de botigues, coloraines de mercat; olor de sofre i de lluna cada nit de Sant Joan.
Shops’ chatter, market colours, smell of sulphur and moon every Sant Joan’s night [Catalan tradition for summer solstice, read about it here]
Nits de lluna plena, Somnis d'envelat, L'ocell de la jovenesa pren el vol mirall enllà: valsos que van i que vénen a la Plaça del Diamant.
Full moon nights, marquee dreams, the bird of youth takes flight at the other side of the mirror: waltzes that come and go in Diamond Square.
I tu, al terrat, estenent la roba o asseguda cosint sola, amb la tarda, i voltada de baranes, de vent i de blau.
And you, on the terrace, hanging out clothes or sitting down sewing alone with the afternoon and surrounded by handrails, wind and blue.
Llargues tardes de diumenge polsim de lluna als terrats, quietud d'hivern al vespre quan es fa fosc aviat.
Long Sunday afternoons, fine moon dust on the terraces, winter stillness in the evenings when it goes dark early.
Sentor de rosa perduda, claror de vidre entelat, joguina feta malbé, cendra d'ocell estimat.
Smell of lost rose, brightness of misted glass, broken toy, ash of beloved bird.
Nits de lluna plena, somnis d'envelat, i quan la cançó s'acabi una altra en començarà, car tot gira com els valsos de la Plaça del Diamant.
Full moon nights, marquee dreams, and when the song ends another one will start, for everything turns like the waltzes of Diamond Square.
