#general:translation

[guillemelgat]

This is a song by Maria Arnal & Marcel Bagés, who were a phenomenal indie-experimental(?) duo which only released two albums but all of the songs on them are incredible. This is one that I've been obsessed with lately. The title is "Meteorit ferit" which translates to "wounded meteorite", and the lyrics and arrangement are very fun.

Com un meteorit lluminós Like a luminous meteorite creuo el cel, desbocada, I cross the sky, unbridled capa a capa va cremant Layer by layer burning tota la meva cuirassa All my armor

Com ganivets esmolats Like sharpened knives com la més àgil espasa Like the most agile sword capa a capa va cremant Layer by layer burning tota la meva cuirassa All my armor

Com ganivets esmolats Like sharpened knives com la més àgil espasa Like the most agile sword capa a capa va cremant Layer by layer burning tota la meva cuirassa All my armor

Al cel sóc estela de llum In the sky I’m a trailing wake of light espant metàl·lic que fulgura A metallic scare which flashes cada vegada més avall, ai, Every time further below, oh i no sé com demanar ajuda And I don’t know how to ask for help

Ara tan tova i abans tan dura Now so soft and before so hard perdo la meva armadura I lose my armor i l’abraço tan fort com puc And I hug it as hard as I can com si fos la teva cintura As though it were your waist

Peça a peça, pètals vençuts Piece by piece, defeated petals un per cada veritat absoluta One for each absolute truth un per cada certesa total One for each total certainty cap que freni la clara caiguda None that can stop the obvious fall

Cada capa de l’atmosfera Every layer of the atmosphere em va deixant més i més nua Is leaving me more and more naked i potser vaig més lleugera And maybe I’m moving a bit lighter però la pena es tan severa But the pain is so severe

Cada capa de l’atmosfera Every layer of the atmosphere em va deixant més i més nua Is leaving me more and more naked i potser vaig més lleugera And maybe I’m moving a bit lighter però la pena es tan severa But the pain is so severe que l’arrossego com una cua That I drag it along like a tail

Busco una ombra d’esperança I’m looking for a shadow of hope vull un canvi de partitura I want a change of tune vull cantar una aliança I want to sing an alliance vull canviar la llei futura I want to change the future law

Ara tan tendra i abans tan dura Now so tender and before so hard perdo la meva armadura I lose my armor i l’abraço tan fort com puc And I hug it as hard as I can com si fos la teva cintura As though it were your waist

[guillemelgat]

Una cançó de fa ara més de 10 anys, però que m'ha sortit a l'atzar i que m'ha parlat al cor. / A song from now more than 10 years ago, but which showed up randomly for me and spoke to me, so I've translated it here.

Sento cantar les granotes des del meu llit I hear the frogs singing from my bed Anuncien la pluja que ha de venir They're announcing the rain which must be coming I els seus cants omplen la nit de veritats And their songs fill the night with truths De certeses mil·lenàries i ancestrals Of thousand-year-old, ancestral certainties No són promeses buides, invisibles They're not empty, invisible promises

[ TORNADA: No, no et diré que anirà bé No, I won't tell you that it'll be okay Perquè és el que diu la gent Because that's what people say Quan no et vol ajudar When they don't want to help you Jo et diré mirant-te als ulls I'll tell you, looking you in the eyes Que si no surt com has pensat That if it doesn't go the way you thought Em tindràs al teu costat You'll have me by your side ]

No t'espolsis la gent amb paraules amables Don't brush people off with kind words No defugis problemes culpant als altres Don't run away from problems by blaming others Ni la natura és sàvia ni la gent bona perquè sí Natural instinct isn't wisdom, nor are people good just because Però si ens tenim a prop potser trobarem un camí But if we have each other close by maybe we can find a way Sense optimismes fàcils però amb valentia Without easy positivity, but with bravery

[ TORNADA ]

[guillemelgat]

This is a delightfully ironic song about those people who come into your life as friends and then end up throwing you under the bus after you do everything you can for them. I've put the live version because it's a lot of fun (although the studio version is also great).

Mira, ja feia temps Look, it had been a while que la teva nàpia augusta Since your venerable nose no em parava pel carrer Hadn't stopped me on the street i jo, amic, tocava fusta. And I, my friend, I knocked on wood Vas venir discret primer, You came discreetly at first confonent-te a l'hora punta, Mixing yourself up at rush hour amb tota la marabunta With all the swarms of people que adormida surt del tren. Sleepily getting off the train

I quins temps, amic, quins temps. And what times, my friend, what times we had A la caseta de fusta. In the little wooden shed Sempre sonava un CD There was always a CD playing quan voltaves per la cuina. When you were in the kitchen

Jo devia fer cara de demanar ajuda. My expression must have been asking for help Gràcies per venir Thanks for coming a temptar-me un altre cop, For tempting me once again a posar-ho tot a lloc, Judes. For putting everything its place, Judas

Fixa’t amb quina il·lusió Look at how excitedly et vaig donar la benvinguda. I welcomed you Vas ser el sol del meu balcó You were the sunshine on my balcony i pel meu jardí la pluja. And the rain for my garden Ja em coneixes, saps com sóc You know me, you know how I am i no vull posar-te excuses, And I don’t want to make excuses però el temps passa per tothom. But time passes for everyone Massa lent, cagunlaputa. Too slowly, goddammit

I aquelles nits sense son And through those sleepless nights em va anar invaïnt un dubte I was invaded by a doubt que avançava entre els racons Which advanced from between corners i els pilots de roba bruta. And the piles of dirty laundry

Has vingut a quedar-te, o tens alguna excusa? Have you come to stay, or do you have some excuse? Vinga Quim, controla el pols. Come on, Quim, control your pulse Vols la guerra? O què cony vols? Do you want war? Or what the hell do you want? Que bé et tires els farols, Judes. How good you are at putting up appearances, Judas

I m'han dit que vas dient And they’ve told me that you’ve been saying pels cafès i les tertúlies At the cafes and the local groups que em comporto com un nen, That I behave like a child que no aguanto quan em jutgen. That I can’t handle people judging me

Ens anàvem a menjar el món. We were going to take on the world D'això, amic, no en tinc cap dubte. About that, my friend, I have no doubts De tant em pregunto on són Sometimes I ask myself where they are les nostres grans aventures. All our grand adventures

I és mentida si us dic que me la suda. And it’s a lie if I tell you that I don’t care Gràcies per venir Thanks for coming a temptar-me un últim cop, To tempt me one last time a posar-me en el meu lloc, Judes. To put me in my place, Judas

[guillemelgat]

Here's another song translation, by Mallorcan band Reïna! Since they're from the Balearic Islands and I don't think I've made a post about that dialect of Catalan I thought this would be an interesting chance to do that as well. But also the song is just really pretty, so I hope you guys enjoy!

Ja m’ha quedat clar que ara vols ser tu es dolent It’s become clear to me that now you want to be the bad guy I que m’escoltes per a no estar tot sol amb es teus pensaments And that you listen to me not to be all alone with your thoughts I que tots es camins que no fèiem encara hi són And that all the roads we never took are still there Tot i que ara semblin més llargs i torts Even though now they seem longer and more twisted

Ja m’ha quedat clar que no tenc clar si t’entenc It’s become clear to me that I’m not clear if I understand you I que te m’acostes per no estar tot sol en es mals moments And that you get close to me not to be all alone in the worst moments I que tot es temps que teníem s’ha fos And that all the time we had has melted Entre es dits que ara semblen més llargs i torts Between fingers that now seem longer and more twisted

[ TORNADA: Ets tan dolç que per dins me mata You’re so sweet that it kills me inside Te tenc tan a prop que sempre m’enrampes I hold you so close that you always give me a shock És tan fort que ja no té importància It’s so much that it doesn’t matter anymore Ets tan dolent que m’arriba a fer gràcia You’re so bad that it’s become funny to me ]

Ja m’ha quedat clar que ara ets tu es dolent It’s become clear to me that now you’re the bad guy I que m’enyores només quan saps que ho has fet malament And that you only miss me when you know you’ve done a bad job I maldament mos enteníem, ara ja no And even though we used to understand each other, we don’t now I d'ençà es dies crec que tornen més llargs i tot And from hereon out I think the days are becoming longer and all

[ TORNADA ]

Here are some features of Balearic/Mallorcan Catalan which you can hear in the song:

l'article salat - instead of el/la/els/les it's es/sa/es/ses

different distributions/realization of the neutral vowels - /ə/ can also be pronounced in stressed syllables (generally where you would have /ε/ in Central Catalan) and there's similar vowel reduction to Valencian of /ɔ/ and /o/ to /o/ rather than /u/

Using the pronomial clitics me/te/etc. which in Central Catalan usually only come after the verb before verbs instead of the forms em/et/etc. - also note mos (= ens/nos) which also occurs in lots of other dialects of Catalan

importància and gràcia are pronounced importanci and graci (this is common with a lot of words ending in -cia)

tenc = tinc

maldament = encara que

Bonus: Pronouncing /k/ as palatal /c/ - this is much less common, but the lead singer of Reïna does it which I thought was interesting (in contrast to Maria Jaume who doesn't seem to)

[guillemelgat]

I'm sharing this song by Tarta Relena which is an adaptation of Pashtun women's improvised poetry published in the book Songs of Love and War, compiled by Afghan poet Sayd Bahodine Majruh and translated into Catalan as El suïcidi i el cant by Margarida Castells Criballès. Tarta Relena are a band of two young women who adapt lots of interesting texts and pieces of music from all sorts of eras and places into stripped-down electronic and vocal works with incredible harmonies and sonorities. I think this song has a lot of really interesting things going on, and the lyrics are very intense but very beautiful.

M’arrenquin amb un ganivet totes les pigues Let them tear out all of my freckles with a knife si nego que et desitjo, si amagues que m’estimes. If I deny that I love you, if you hide that you love me

Benamat, vine a la vora i seu amb mi una estona, Beloved, come to my side and sit with me a while que la vida aviat serà tal com l’hivern que s’escola. Because life will soon be like the winter that trickles away

L’espai entre nosaltres que ens separa l’un de l’altra The space between us that separates the one of us from the other em nega com l’onada quan s’empassa les barques. Drowns me like the wave when it swallows ships

Ai, agafa’m, ai, abraça’m, ai, tingue’m a la vora, Oh, take me, oh, embrace me, oh, have me by your side que aquesta pena meva se m’emporta i deixa sola. This pain of mine is taking me over and leaving me alone

La meva boca és teva, pots devorar-la sens por, My mouth is yours, you can devour it without fear però deixa’m la llengua lliure per anar-te parlant d’amor. But leave my tongue free to keep speaking to you of love

El jardí del món creares, oh déu meu, i no és pecat You created the garden of the world, oh god, and it’s not a sin que n’hagi pres la flor que a mi més m’ha agradat. That I’ve picked the flower which I like best

Amor meu, jura una cosa, jura que vindràs amb mi, My love, swear me something, swear that you’ll come with me que pugui jo sembrar-te totes les flors del camí. So that I can sow all the flowers on your path

Quan passo prop de la tomba d’un sant When I pass close to the tomb of a saint li tiro pedres pels desitjos que em va negant. I throw stones at them for the desires they deny me

I si era veritat que tu no em sabies estimar, And if it was true that you didn’t know how to love me digue’m per què despertes el meu cor endormiscat? Tell me why you awake my sleeping heart?

Ves-te’n lluny, amic meu, bon viatge i bon vent, Get yourself far from me, my friend, goodbye and good riddance dels amants n’eres un més, i ara me’n trobaré cent! As a lover, you’re just one more, and now I’ll find myself a hundred

M’he repintat les pigues i avui nit em crema el ventre. I’ve repainted my freckles and tonight my insides are burning Si ara em veiessis, perdries la raó per sempre. If you saw me now, you’d lose your mind forever

Demà els que tinguin gana deixaré ben satisfets Tomorrow anyone who wants it I’ll leave well satisfied travessaré la vil·la amb els cabells al vent. I’ll cross the village with my hair blowing in the wind

[guillemelgat]

This song has kind of become my obsession as of late, and since I'm trying to get better at understanding Galician I thought I'd attempt to do a translation. Corrections welcome! / Aquesta cançó ha esdevingut una obsessió últimament, i com que vull millorar el meu (enteniment del) gallec pensava que potser m'atreviria a traduir-la. Qualsevol correcció és benvinguda!

Se do torreiro da festa Si en el terreny de festa If on the dancefloor Eu fose sempre a primeira Jo sempre fos la primera I was always the first En sacare a bailar aos mociños En treure a ballar als nois To invite the boys to dance Mociñas desta noite mesta Noies d’aquesta nit espessa Girls of the thick of night   Se debullase as espigas Si desgranés les espigues If I threshed the wheat Coas uñas longas de gata Amb ungles llargues de gata With long acrylic nails E da horta só apañase as espiñas I de l’horta només collís les espines And from the garden I only picked the thorns E a mala herba que me mata I la mala herba que em mata And the weeds that are killing me   [ RETROUSO: A miña tatara-tatara-tatara-tataravoa estaría contenta La meva rebesàvia estaria contenta My great-great-grandmother would be happy Tatara-tatara-tatara-tataravoa estaría contenta Rebesàvia estaria contenta Great-great-grandmother would be happy Tatatata-tataravoa estaría contenta Rebesàvia estaria contenta Great-great-grandmother would be happy Tatatata se me escoita cantar Si m’escolta cantar If she hears me sing ]   Se ao camiño da fonte Si al camí de la font If on the way to the spring Fose a algo máis que a lavare Hi anés per alguna cosa més que rentar I went for something besides washing E na misa dos domingos I a la missa els diumenges And at Mass on Sundays Quedase sempre fóra pra repicare Quedés sempre a fora per a repicar I stayed outside to ring the bells   Se nos visen no palco Si ens veiessin dalt de l’escenari If they could see us on stage Coa forza dun vendavale Amb la força d’un vendaval With the strength of a powerful wind Non sei ben se chorarían No sé si bé plorarien I don’t know if they’d cry Ou ben subirían con nos a cantare O bé pujarien amb nosaltres a cantar Or if they’d get up to come sing with us   [ RETROUSO ]   Vou ó seu lado, collo a súa man Vaig al seu costat, agafo la seva mà I go to her side, I take her hand Cóntolle to que fixen no serán Li explico tot el que vaig fer en la festa I tell her everything I did at the party Non se alarma, non se asusta No s’alarma, no s’espanta She isn’t alarmed, she doesn’t get shocked Ela viviu mil veráns Ella va viure mil estius She lived a thousand summers [x4]

[ RETROUSO ]

[guillemelgat]

Torno amb una altra traducció d'una cançó tradicional en anglès, aquest cop "Lowlands", també coneguda com "Lowlands Away", que és un capstan shanty o una cançó que es cantava mentre els mariners feien aixecar una àncora o un altre gran pes. Els capstan shanties solen ser molt lents i suaus, ideals per la feina ponderada de fer girar l'argue o cabrestant. Aquesta té nombroses versions, però en general explica la història d'un mariner a qui se li mor la nòvia, i arriba a saber de la seva mort a través d'un "somni estrany", com diu la cançó. Jo ho he invertit, per cap raó a part de la facilitat de fer la lletra, però crec que el sentiment es manté igual. També val a dir que he triat la del cançoner que la meva família té a casa i gràcies al qual vaig arribar a conèixer la cançó en primer lloc, però que té la curiositat de que l'arranjament és en clau menor, tot i que en la gran majoria de les versions és en tonalitat major. Dit això, podeu triar el que us agradi més—la lletra val per a les dues.

I aquí, com amb l'altra, teniu una carpeta amb la imatge de dalt en forma de PDF, l'àudio, i el fitxer de Musescore, per si de cas els voleu!

(Com amb "Brindem pels companys/Here's a Health", cal dir que vinc de l'anglès i això només ha estat un exercici en ampliar i treballar el meu català, així que segurament podria ser millor 😅)

Lletra a sota / Lyrics & English translation below

Lletra original en anglès (Fireside Book of Songs)

I dreamed a dream the other night Lowlands, lowlands away my John My love she came all dressed in white My lowlands away

She came to me by my bedside Lowlands, lowlands away my John All dressed in white like some fair bride My lowlands away

And buried in her bosom fair Lowlands, lowlands away my John A red, red rose my love did wear My lowlands away

She made no sound, no word she said Lowlands, lowlands away my John And then I knew my love was dead My lowlands away

Lletra

Un somni estrany tenia anit Ai las, ai las estimat meu El meu amor, de blanc vestit Ai las, amor meu

Venia a seure al meu costat Ai las, ai las estimat meu Blanc com la neu dels peus al cap Ai las, amor meu

Premuda fort al seu ventrell Ai las, ai las estimat meu Duia una flor color vermell Ai las, amor meu

En un moment, m’assabentí Ai las, ai las estimat meu Que no el tindria més amb mi Ai las, amor meu

English Translation

I had a strange dream last night Alas, alas my beloved My love dressed in white Alas, my love

He came and sat by my side Alas, alas my beloved White as snow from feet to head Alas, my love

Pressed hard to his stomach Alas, alas my beloved He carried a flower, red in color Alas, my love

In a moment, I realized Alas, alas my beloved That I wouldn’t have him with me anymore Alas, my love

[guillemelgat]

I thought this song, a collaboration between Basque band Bulego and Spanish musician Ede, was really pretty, and the words are also very poetic. They switch between Spanish and Basque in very interesting ways, but the whole thing comes together quite well. If you speak Spanish and/or Basque you can watch the process they went through to make the song here, and give a better explanation than I could of what it's about, but roughly it speaks to the fact that even past experiences that we regret make up an important part of who we are now, so as much as we might want to get rid of them we can't.

Si lo hubiera sabido antes If I had known before que todo este ruido escondía mi nombre That all this noise was hiding my name

Isiltasun honen atzean gorde dira Behind all this silence are being kept nire izenaren oihartzun guztiak All the echoes of my name

Quizás escondiendo las manos Maybe hiding my hands quizás rebajando la voz Maybe lowering my voice quizás resistiendo el impulso Maybe resisting the impulse o quizás incluso si no Or maybe even if not podría apagar esta culpa I could turn off this guilt pero sin todo este dolor But without all this pain

[ ERREPIKA / ESTRIBILLO: Ez nintzen ni izango I wouldn’t be me Esa no sería yo That wouldn’t be me Dudan hutsune honek bete ez banindu. If the hollowness that I have didn’t fill me Esa no sería yo That wouldn’t be me ez nintzen ni izango I wouldn’t be me hoy la culpa deja hueco a la luz Today guilt leaves a space for the light ]

Lorez apaindu ditut I’ve embellished with flowers isiltasun honen erpin guztiak All the spikes of this silence En este pecho tan lleno In this full bosom ya no cabe el silencio que me pides guardar There’s no room left for the silence that you asked me to keep

Agian ausartu banintz Maybe if I had dared to agian egin banu Maybe if I had done it agian ahots horrekin Maybe with that voice ezingo nuen lortu I wouldn’t have been able to erru hau itzali eta Turn off this guilt and min hau berriz ez sentitu Not feel this pain again

[ERREPIKA / ESTRIBILLO ]