Sona, Viola, Sona is a traditional Catalan song about the despair of a young woman taken away by a thief who abducts her. These kind of songs are called romanços, and are often passed on orally. Except for the refrain, the metric scheme is ABAB, and each verse has vocalic assonance, which means the stressed vowel sound of each verse-final word is repaetead, so ballades, dama; Francesc, francès; robada, falda, etc.
UC - Sona, Viola, Sona || Ibiza
Hi havia grans ballades al pla de Sant Francesc, allà ballava una dama filla del rei francès.
There were great dances at the plain of Sant Francesc, there was a lady dancing, daughter of the king of France.
Sona, viola, sona, sona del so cortès.
Carry on, viola, carry on, carry on with the courtly sound.
Un maco l’ha robada, un maco aragonès; ja li fa fer una falda color de foc encès.
A young man stole her, a young Aragonese man. He orders that a skirt be made for her of fiery bright red.
Sona, viola, sona, sona del so cortès.
Carry on, viola, carry on, carry on with the courtly sound.
Li fa posar la falda, dalt del cavall l’asseu, fugen com una bala, fugen com un llampec.
He makes her wear the skirt, and once in the saddle, they flee like a bullet, they flee like a flash of lightning.
Sona, viola, sona, sona del so cortès.
Carry on, viola, carry on, carry on with the courtly sound.
Han cavalcat set hores i cap dels dos diu res. La dama sempre plora, de sobte té uns ofecs.
They rode for seven hours, but neither of them said a word. The lady is always crying, suddenly she can’t breathe anymore.
Sona, viola, sona, sona del so cortès.
Carry on, viola, carry on, carry on with the courtly sound.
Què us ha passat, la dama? “La falda, que m’estreny. Si el punyal em deixàveu, que li fes uns tallets”.
What’s the matter, milday? “The skirt– it’s tight. If only you would give me the dagger, I could cut it a bit”.
Sona, viola, sona, sona del so cortès.
Carry on, viola, carry on, carry on with the courtly sound.
Ella el punyal agafa, ella el punyal ha pres, i enmig del cor se’l clava, enmig del cor ofès.
She grabs the dagger, she’s taken the dagger, and drives it in the middle of her heart, in the middle of her slandered heart.
Sona, viola, sona, sona del so cortès.
Carry on, viola, carry on, carry on with the courtly sound.