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Programme Note

Cançiones are three Spanish songs: a love song, a setting of Cançion de Jinete by Lorca, and a lyric. The two outer poems are anonymous but are cited by Lorca in his essay on Duende which could be roughly translated as the Creative Spirit.

© Simon Holt

Eyes to the Shadow

Si tú eres mi linda amiga, If you are my sweetheart,
¿cómo no me miras, di? why won't you look at me, pray?

Ojos con que te miraba Eyes I had to look at thee,
a la sombra se los di. to the shadow I gave them.

Si tú eres mi linda amiga, If you are my sweetheart,
¿cómo no me besas, di? why won't you kiss me, pray?

Labios con que te besaba Lips I had to kiss thee,
a la tierra se los di. to the earth I gave them.

Si tú eres mi linda amiga, If you are my sweetheart,
¿cómo no me abrazas, di? why won't you embrace me, pray?

Brazos con que te abrazaba, Arms I had to embrace thee,
de gusanos los cubrí. with worms I covered them.

Anon.


Canción de Jinete(1860) Song of the Rider(1860)

En la luna negra In the black moon
de los bandoleros, of the highwaymen
cantan las espuelas. the spurs sing.

Caballito negro Little black horse
¿Dónde llevas tu jinete muerto? Where are you taking your dead rider?

…Las duras espuelas …The hard spurs
del bandido inmóvil of the motionless bandit
que perdió las riendas. who lost his reins.

Caballito frío. Little cold horse.
¡Qué perfume de flor de cuchillo! What a scent of knife-blossom!

En la luna negra, In the black moon
sangraba el costado bled the mountain-side
de Sierra Morena. of Sierra Morena.

Caballito negro Little black horse
¿Dónde llevas tu jinete muerto? Where are you taking your dead rider?

La noche espolea The night spurs
sus negros ijares her back flanks
clavándose estrellas. pricking herself with stars.

Caballito frío. Little cold horse.
¡Qué perfume de flor de cuchillo! What a scent of knife-blossom!

En la luna negra, In the black moon,
¡un grito! y el cuerno a shriek! And the long horn
largo de la hoguera. of the bonfire.

Caballito negro Little black horse
¿Dónde llevas tu jinete muerto? Where are you taking your dead rider?

Federico García Lorca


La Muerte Dentro del Rosal …Death in the rose-bush

Dentro del vergel In the garden
moriré, I shall die,
dentro del rosal in the rose-bush
matar me han. I shall be killed.
Yo me iba, mi madre, I was going, dear mother,
las rosas coger, to pick up some roses,
hallara la muerte I found death
dentro del vergel. in the garden.

Yo me iba, mi madre, I was going, dear mother,
las rosas cortar, to cut some roses,
hallara la muerte I found death
dentro del rosal. in the rose-bush.
Dentro del vergel In the garden
moriré. I shall die,
dentro del rosal in the rose-bush
matar me han. I shall be killed.

Anon.
Translations by J.L. Gili (Penguin Books)