Re: Spanish: Era versus Fue

From: Bart Mathias (bartmathias_at_verizon.net)
Date: 09/05/04 

Date: Sun, 05 Sep 2004 02:39:50 GMT

Pieter wrote:
> "Bart Mathias" <bartmathias@verizon.net> wrote [...]
>>Mu apologies. I shouldn't have assumed everyone would recognize some
>>of the lyrics to "La Paloma." And I should have stuck in "..." after
>>"salí," where I omitted "de la Havana, valgame Dios" (accents missing
>>on "va" and "os"--I don't know how to put them in).
>
> Yes, splendid, cucurucucu and all that. Still, your paloma is a dove,
> not a gull, so I still can't follow. I'm tempted to venture a
> translation myself but I'd like to see what you make of it first. You
> show me yours etc.

Hmmm... That must be part of the reason the song is often referred to
as "The Dove" in English. And a sillier mistake than my thinking
"pisces" was Greek a couple of days ago (I suppose I thought it should
be "quis..." something in Latin).

I have waffled again on the "fui" in question. The "Donde es (the place
in the map)?" discussion reminded me that you don't really have to have
both the A and the B of "A es B" in Spanish. So it could still be "if
it wasn't I."

OK, I'll propose a translation, but I'd better start with the original,
even though probably no one who doesn't know it would be interested in
this thread. I'll fake the accents I think should be there with "'"
(aside to Peter Daniels: It's not Linux that has any difficulty
whatsoever with extended ASCII, it's *my* current broken installation of
Linux.)

"Cuando sali' de la Havana, va'lgame Dio's, nadie me ha visto salir si
no fui yo. Y una linda guachinanga (gauchinanaga?) alla' voy yo que se
vino tras de mi que si' sen~or. Si a tu ventana llega una paloma,
tra'tala con carin~o que es mi persona. Cue'ntala tus amores bien de mi
vida; coro'nala de flores, que es cosa mia. Ay, chinita, que si'. Ay
que dame tu amor. Ay, que vente conmigo, chinita, a donde vivo yo."

(I'm not sure how much of that's right--I used to sing it to myself a
lot, but decades ago. And looking at it now, I wonder if I ever
undeestood very much of it.)

"When I left Havana, God help me, no one saw me leave if it wasn't I/if
I didn't go. And a pretty [some-type-of-woman], there I go [I can no
longer make much of this line, but seems to suggest an incipient
favorable relationship]. If a dove arrives at your window, treat it
with care, for it is me [my person]. Tell it your love stories of my
life [can't handle "bien"]; crown it with flowers, for it is me [my
thing]. Oh, sweetheart, let it be {?} 'Yes.' Oh, that you give me your
love. Oh, that you come with me, sweetheart, to where I live."

Bart Mathias