Canciones y Ensaladas

y Ensaladas
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HMA 1951627
Between the accession of Charles V (1516) and the decline of the reign of Philip II (1556-98),
the theatre of Baroque disillusionment, Spain was to know an age of splendour. However,
it was a society quite devoid of humanistic leggerezza (lightness): in this world there was a
violent clashing of two conflicting ideals, on the one hand a religious dogmatism exacerbated
by fear of the Papacy, and on the other a liberal humanism. This explains how the severe
personages of Pedro Fernández’s Reredos of Saint Helena and the more affable and carnal
ones that surround Danae in the frescoes painted by Gaspar Becerra could exist side by
side. Two spaces co-existed on one and the same ground, one of them in the filtered and
dark obscurity of the churches, the other encircled like a painting abounding in fruit and
flowers, venison and comforting wines. With a presentiment of the tenebrous landscape
which was to engulf this kingdom that went as far as to engrave its coins with the motto “Non
sufficit orbis” (the world is not enough), many of the nobles, artists and merchants chose
a life of far from metaphoric pleasure on the occasion of the sumptuous private festivities
described in the poems of Esteban Manuel de Villegas.
We find this duality in the work of the Estremadura n Juan Vásquez (c.1510-60), whose
music, widely known even before it was published1, can be alternately joyous and expansive
in its secular aspect, or profound and contemplative in its religious one, as in the exemplary
Agenda defunctorum (Office for the Dead, Seville, 1556). In spite of the high quality of his
religious music, it is mainly in his secular polyphony that this Master of the Chapel of the
Cathedral of Badajoz, his native town, excelled: it has an elegant simplicity of expression
and beguiling freshness, ideal for enhancing the soirées of his protectors. Of his Villancicos
i canciones a tres y a cuatro (Villancicos and songs in three and in four parts), published at
Osuna in 1551, only a single part has survived. The spirit of these pieces may be retrieved
by consulting the Recopilación de sonetos y villancicos (Compilation of airs for playing and of
villancicos), published in Seville in 1560. this collection contains extremely concise pieces,
very often based on the tunes of popular songs, frequently making use of repetition of a
thematic phrase in partial imitation in all of the parts. Vásquez, who did not refuse to have
his works published without an a lo divino version2, introduced a notable innovation, the
permanent liaison of the refrain and the couplet. Pieces like Cavallero, queraysme dexar,
evolving over an extensive phrase, Ojos morenos, inspired by a popular song, and Lágrimas
de mi consuelo are all examples of a sober, clear, flowing and balanced polyphonic texture
capable of a supple and easy incorporation of popular inspiration.
If Vásquez is an illustrious representative of the Andalusian school, the dynamic vigour
of Mateo Flecha (Tarragona, c. 1481-1553) is a striking reflection of the artistic ebullition
at the flourishing court of Germaine de Foix and Ferdinand of Aragon, Duke of Calabria,
in Valencia where the composer undoubtedly resided between 1533 and 1543. Although
he later migrated to the chapel of the Infantas Doña Maria and Doña Juana near Avila
his music remained marked by the colour and spontaneity of the Catalonian School. His
extensive production has come down to us thanks to Mateo Flecha the Younger (c.15301604) who in 1581 put his uncle’s works in the hands of the printer Jorge Negrino of Prague.
This was an anthology entitled Las Ensaladas de Flecha (The salads of Flecha), “who was
Master of the Chapel of the Most serene Infantas of Castille, Collected by Matheo Flecha his
nephew […] with some of the latter’s and of diverse authors, corrected by him and given to the
printer”. The “diverse authors” in question were Father Alberch Vila, chacón and Bartomeu
Cárceres. Of the “salad” (“ensalada”)3 Miguel de Cervantes tells us in his Viaje del Parnaso
(“Parnassian Voyage”, ch. 63) that it is a “type of song in different metres”; according to
1
Juan Díaz de Rengifo’s Arte poética española (44, Salamanca, 1592), it consists of “stanzas
in redondillas4 between which all kindsof metres are interspersed”. Always picturesque in
his definitions, Sebastián de Covarrubias explains in his Tesoro de la lengua Castellana o
Española (1611) that “It is because in a salad one mixes various greens, salted meat, fish,
olives, pickles, preserves, egg-yolks, borage blossom […] that the name “salad” has been given
to a type of song in mixed metres […] and we have numerous and excellent ones by early
composers, like ‘el molino’, ‘la bomba’, ‘el fuego’, ‘la justa’, ‘el chilindrón’, etc.”.
Although we find precedents for this type of composition in Juan de Triana (fl. 1478), there
is a six-part composition by Francisco de Peñalosa partially preserved in the Cancionera
de Palacio (No. 311)5, and of which Higinio Anglés writes in his edition of Las Ensaladas
–(Barcelona, 1954) that “the cantus firmus and the tenor I sing’Por las sierras de Madrid’,
while the bass sings in Latin and the other voices sing different texts always in Castillian to
popular melodies”. However, it is Flecha who takes the prize for the purest practice and
the consolidation of the genre, which he endows with an alternation of sequences in the
madrigalisque and the homophonic styles, always in association with extremely popular
romanceros6 and songs.
The “Salads”, divided into several sections – genrally from seven to twelve -, constitute an
eminently Spanish form. They united the scred and the secular and were often sung at
Christmas. For example, The War realistically depicts “the valour” of the Child-God come to
fight against Lucifer, including onomatopoelas imitating the sound of the drum and the fife.
The same thing is found in The Bomb, which Miguel de Fuenllana (d. c. 1579) arranged for
voices accompanied by figured tablature in his Orpheonica lyra (Seville, 1554). Only six of
Flecha’s eleven Ensaladas have survived complete and, inevitably, in their “programmatic
accent”, as Anglés puts it, they remind us of Clément Janequin’s La Bataille de Marignan.
The first known mention of Joan Brudieu (c.1520-91) dates from 1538-397. Born in an
unknown place in the diocese of Limoges, he established himself in the Cathedral (Seo) of
Urgel where he became master of the chapel, although he spent some time in Barcelona
(1578) as the chapel master and organist of the church of Santa M
aria del Mar. it was
in Barcelona that the printer Hubert Gotart published the collection of four-part madrigals
entitled Madrigaux du très reverend Ioan Brudieu maistre de Chapelle de la saincte Eglise de
la Seo d’Urgel à quatre voix (1585)8. His assimilation of Catalan music and his conscientious
settings of the poetry of Ausias March9 link Brudieu’s splendid madrigals to the serene and
jovial art of Father Serafí and Joan Timoneda. Thus, in En lo mon pus sou dotada the cantus
firmus is a melody of a popular cast related to the simple and contained line of the Marial
Beatitudes – an elegant way of exploiting his contrapuntal inventiveness.
Compared with the immensity of the vocal repertory, instrumental music in Spain occupied a
relatively modest space, as it did in the rest of Europe, although it was of capital importance
if one considers the large amount of keyboard music and the contribution of the vihuelists.
However, side by side with these repertories there is the admirable Tratado de Glosas sobre
sobre Clausulas y otros generos de puntos en la Musica de Violines (Rome, 1553) in which
Diego Ortiz reflects on the art of the glosas (ornamented variations) on a small cadential
melodic formula (clausula). In the paragraph devoted to plainsong – themes were given this
name although they did not necessarily come from the liturgical repertory – he cites various
pieces which ha calls Recercadas and in which he demonstrates the best way for the vihuela
de arco (bowed vihuela – similar to the viola da gamba) to play the discantus (descant) with
another instrument. Among the best known of these Recercadas are the four written on
the four-part madrigal by Jacques Arcadelt, O felici occhi miei – the first and the third on the
fourth part, the second on the cantus and the fourth, an invention of Ortiz’s making it a fivepart madrigal -, and the eight on “plainchants which are commonly called Tenors in Italy”. The
Recercada VI on La Romanesca enjoyed particular popularity and, like the whole series based
on the popular song Guárdame las vacas (“Watch the cows for me”), it contains variations
filled with charm and rhythmic refinement.
Although everything by Valderrábano is interesting, his Fourth Book (Valladolid, 1547)
deserves special attention: here the diferencia (variation) attains to one of its highest
summits, for he succeeds in writing over a hundred on the tenor of El Conde Claros10. These
variations demand great technical prowess from the performer who has to play complex
passages ornamented with a profusion of trills, double stopping and other features.
As for Alonso Mudarra, he devoted various pieces in his Tres Libros en Cifras para Vihuela
(Seville, 1546) to the guitar – the earliest known source of music for the instrument. These
three fantasies show a remarkable contrapuntal freedom: full of lyrical grace and imagination,
they are fine examples representing a composer who claimed that he offered these pieces
merely “to take the chill from the hands”.
Ramon Andrés
Translated by Derek Yeld
2
1.Some of the works of Vázquez had already appeared in the Silva de Sirenas (Collections of
sirens, Valladolid, 1547) of Enrique de Valderrábano (c. 1500-57).
2. The music of the Spanish Golden age, especially when sung, almost always existed in
two versions, one secular, the other sacred. Thus, to the same tune, in the same “timbre”, a
pious text could be sung in church, while outside it had wordly, sometimes rather picaresque
and bawdy words.
3. Besides various metres, the Ensalada often lixes different languages in its polyphony. A,n
equivalent would be the quodlibet or the fricassee. Darius Milhaud wrote a ballet in the style,
called Salade.
4. The redondilla is a stanza of four octosyllabic lines with an abba rhyme-scheme.
5. A late 15th cent. song-book from the period of the Catholic Kings, consisting of 460
different compositions, courtly and popular airs.
6. The romancero is a short epico-lyrical poem in octosyllabic lines with assonances in
the even lines. An immense number of these sung and recited poems existed which all
Spaniards knew practically by heart.
7. He is mentioned in a Catalan document as “choirmaster Jean Brudieu, a French singer,
thanks to the financial support of charitable works”.
8. The modern edition was published in 1921 by Felipe Pedrell and Higinio Anglés, op. cit.
9. A famous Catalan poet of the first half of the 14th cent., the writer of love poems.
10. One of the best known romanceros of the 16th cent.
3
2 | Matteo Flecha : La Bomba
Bomba, bomba y agua fuera!
Vayan los cargos al mar,
que nos imos a anegar,
do remedio no se espera.
A l’escota socorred!
Vosostros id al timón!
Que espació, corred, corred!
No veis nuestra perdición?
Esas gúmenas cortad
porque se amaine la vela.
Hazia acá contrapesad!
Oh, que la nave se asuela!
Mandad calafatear,
que quizá dará remedio!
Ya no hay tiempo ni lugar,
que la nao se abre por medio!
¿Qué haremos, qué haremos?
¿Si aprovechará nadar?
Oh, que está tan bravo el mar
que todos pereceremos.
Pipas y tablas tomemos.
¿Mas, triste yo, qué haré?
Que yo, que no sé nadar, moriré.
Virgen Madre, yo prometo
rezar con tino tus horas.
Si, Juan, tú escapas,
hiermo horas.
Monserrate luego meto.
Yo triste ofrezco también,
en saliendo de este lago,
ir descalço a Santiago.
Eu yendo a Jerusalén.
Santa Virgen de Loreto!
San Ginés, socorred nos!
Que me ahogo, Santo Dios!
Que me ahogo, que me ahogo!
Sant Elmo, santo bendito!
Oh, Virgen de Guadalupe,
nuestra maldad no te ocupe.
Señora de Monserrate,
ay, señora y gran rescate.
Oh, gran socorro y bonanza:
nave viene en que escapemos,
allegad, que pereçemos!
Soccored, no aya tardanza.
No sea un punto detenido,
señores, ese batel!
Oh, qué ventura he tenido,
pues que pude entrar en él.
Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.
Dignum et justum est.
De tan grande beneficio
reçebido en este día.
Cantemos con alegria
todos hoy por su servicio.
Ea, sus, empecemos!
Empieça tú, Gil Piçara,
a tañer con tu guitarra,
nosotros te ayudaremos.
Esperad que esté templada.
Tiémplala bien, hi de ruin.
Oh, cómo está destemplada.
Acaba, maldito, ya!
Din dirindin…
Es por demás!
Sube, sube un poco más.
Din din din din…
Muy bien está!
Ande, pues, nuestro apellido,
el tañer con el cantar,
concordes en alabar
a Jesús rezién nacido.
Dindirindin…
Bendito el que ha venido
a librarnos de agonia.
Bendito sea este día
que nasció el contentamiento.
Remedió su advenimiento mil enojos.
Pump, pump, bail out the water!
Heave the cargo overboard,
Otherwise we’re going to sink,
There’s no hope of salvation.
Get help to the main-sheet!
All hands to the helm!
What a situation! Run, run!
Can’t you see we’re lost?
Cut through the rigging
To lower the sail.
Throw you weight on this side!
Oh, the ship is shattered!
Caulk up the chinks,
That might repair the damage.
There is no time to be lost,
The ship is breaking in half!
What shall we do, what shll we do?
What use is there in swimming?
Oh, the sea is so rough
That all of us will perish.
Hold on to the barrels and timbers!
But woe is me, what will I do,
I, who cannot swim? I’ll die.
Virgin Mother, I promise
To say your offices for ever.
John, if you escape from this,
You’ll live a hermit in the desert.
I’ll get me to Montserrat.
I, too, poor wretch, do promise,
When I get out of this flood,
To go barefoot to Santiago.
And I’ll run to Jerusalem.
Holy Virgin of Loreto!
Saint Genesius, help us!
I’m drowning, Holy God!
I’m drowning, I’m drowning!
Saint Elmo, most blessed saint!
Oh, Virgin of Guadelupe,
Do not look upon our wickedness.
Lady of Montserrat,
Hear us, Lady and great Redeemer.
Oh, wondrous help, what a blessing:
A ship approaches in which we shall escape,
Hurry, we are perishing!
Help us, do not delay!
Do not slow down for an instant,
Sirs, that boat!
Oh, what good fortune I’ve had
To be able to board her!
It is meet and just
That we give thanks unto our Lord God
For the great bounty
That we have received this day.
Let us all joyfully sing
Today in his service.
Yes, come, let us begin!
You begin, Gil Pizzara,
To play your guitar,
We others will accompany you.
Wait until it is tuned.
Tune it well, you whoreson.
Oh, how out of tune it is!
Will you get on with it, damn you!
Dindirindin...
Nothing to be done!
Higher, a little higher.
Din din din din...
That’s much better!
Come now, come to our call,
To play and to sing
Together in praise
Of the newborn Jesus.
Dindirindin...
Blessed is he that comes
To free us from agony.
Blessed be this day
On which our happiness is born.
His coming redeemed us from a thousand woes.
4
Benditos sean los ojos
que con piedad nos miraron,
y benditos, que ansi amansaron tal fortuna.
No quede congoxa alguna.
Demos prisa al navegar,
Poys o vento nos a de llevar.
Garrido es el vendaval!
No se vió bonança ygual
sobre tan gran desatiento.
Bien hayas tú, viento,
que ansi me ayudas
contra fortuna.
Gritá, gritá todos a una, gritá:
Bonança, bonança! Salvamiento!
Miedo ovistes al tormento,
no tuviendo sperança.
O modicae fidei!
Ello está muy bien ansi.
Gala es todo.
A nadie hoy duela la gala chinela,
de la china gala, la gala chinela.
Mucho prometemos
en tormenta fiera,
mas luego ofreçemos
infinita çera.
A Diós, señores! A la vela!
Nam si pericula sunt in mari
pericula sunt in terra
et pericula in falsis fratribus.
Blessed be the eyes
That looked upon us with pity,
And blessed is he that has averted so great a
Let no anguish remain.
[ misfortune.
Let us now hasten to sail,
For the wind will bear us.
How fair the westerly wind!
Never has there been so great a favour
After so great a disaster.
Blessed are you, wind,
That thus has helped me
Against ill fortune.
Shout, shout, all together, shout:
Fair wind, fair wind! We are saved!
You were in the midst of torment,
Having lost all hope.
O ye of little faith!
Thus all is well.
Everything is rejoicing.
Let the revels fit
The happy occasion
Much did we promise
In our harsh torment,
But afterwards we will offer
Numberless candles.
God be with you, Sirs! To sail!
For great perils are not only on the sea;
great perils are on earth
and great perils in false brethren.
3 | Juan Vasquez : Ojos Morenos
¿Quándo nos veremos?
Ojos morenos
De bonica color.
Soys tan graciosos
Que matays de amor,
de amor morenos.
Ojos morenos,
¿Quándo nos veremos?
Brown eyes,
When will see each other?
Brown eyes,
Lovely in colour,
You are so beguiling
That you kill with love,
With love, brown ones.
Brown eyes,
When will we see each other?
4 | Juan Vasquez : Que yo, mi madre, yo,
Que la flor de la villa m’era yo.
Ivame yo, mi madre,
A vender pan a la villa
I todos me dezian:
Que panadera garrida!
Garrida m’era yo,
Que la flor de la villa m’era yo.
Ah, me! Mother mine,
I was the flower of the town.
When I went, mother mine,
To sell bread in the town,
They all said:
What a fair baker’s-maid!
I was fair,
I was the flower of the town.
5 | Juan Vasquez : Mi mal de causa es
Mi mal de causa es y aquesto es cierto
Mas no es causa de mal quien me condena,
Porqu’es causa muy justa y es tan buena
Que causa efectos de muy gran conciertos
Mi mal efecto es, y es desconcierto,
Llamallo mal, porque el amor ordena
Que aqueste mal sea bien, aunque dé pena,
Y asi este nombre, mal, es nombre yncierto,
Pues si este efecto bien, cómo maltrata?
Si es mal, cómo me da tan dulce gusto?
Por cierto, que en pensar estos estremos,
Mi ser se disminuye y desbarata,
Pues nombre para que le venga juso,
Llamémosle buen mal y acertaremos.
My ill has a cause, that is certain,
But the cause of my ill is not those who condemn me,
For it is a cause so just and so good,
That it causes effects of the greatest harmony.
My ill is an effect, and it is discordant
To call it an ill, because love commands
That this ill should be a good, although it gives pain;
Thus the name “ill” is an uncertain one,
For if its effect is good, how can one slander it?
If it is an ill, how does it give me such sweet pleasure?
Forsooth, in thinking in these extreme terms,
My being is diminished and disconcerted,
Hence, to give it a name that becomes it best,
Let us call it a good ill, which is more just.
6 | Juan Brudieu : Los gosos de nuestra señora
The Blessings of our Lady
En lo mon pus sou dotada
dels set goigs, Mare de Deu,
d’altres set sou heretada
en los cels, com merexeu.
Most blessed in this world
With seven joys, Mother of God,
Of seven more you are the heir
In heaven, as you deserve.
Lo primer es, Verge pura,
en lo grau que possehiu ;
mes que tota creatura
vos tal gloria sentiu.
Apres Deu la mes honrada
del restant sou y sereu
de nosaltres advocada
en los cels, com merexeu.
The first is, Virgin pure,
In the rank that you possess:
More than any other creature
You exhale its glory.
After God most honoured
You are and shall be
Our advocate
In heaven, as you deserve.
5
Lo segon, Verge benigna,
vos ensemps ab vostre Fill
un voler als dos consigna
l’u de l’altre sou espill.
Sou vos tan glorificada
que sempre sou y sereu,
digna reyna coronada
en los cels, com merexeu.
The second, Virgin benign,
The union with your Son;
One will, not two, you impressed,
That the one is the mirror of the other.
You are so glorified
That you are ever and shall be
A worthy crowned queen
In heaven, as you deserve.
Lo tercer, Verge sancta,
que’n la cort celestial,
claredat preneu vos tanta
qu’apres Deu mostra tal;
de la qual illuminada,
mes que’l jorn del sol no pren,
sou de tots los sancts amada
en los cels, com merexeu.
The third, Virgin most holy,
Is that in the celestial court
You are so radiant
That after God you lead the enlightened
By your radiant light.
More than the star of the day;
You are loved by all the saints
In heaven, as you deserve.
Lo quart es qu’us obeexen
sancts y sanctes fent honor,
com aquella que’us conexen,
ser mare del Salvador,
y regina premiada,
cap y peus del regne seu,
y deessa coronada
en los cels, com merexeu.
The fourth is that you are obeyed
By all the saints who do honour
To her who they know
Is the mother of the Saviour,
And queen rewarded
By his whole kingdom,
And Goddess crowned
In heaven, as you deserve.
Lo quint es que’us remunera
lo senyor vostres turments,
ab grat vostre sens espera,
d’aquells dons tots temps plasents.
May se pert en vos soldada,
qui us serveix be l satisfeu,
per ser tant regraciada
en los cels, com merexeu.
The fifth is that you are acknowledged
By the Lord in your afflictions
Without awaiting for ever
The pleasures of these gifts.
No wage is ever lost in you,
Whoever serves you is well rewarded,
And is filled with gratitude to you
In heaven, as you deserve.
Lo sisè es que vestida
sou decors glorificat,
y estau vos molt unida
ab la sancta Trinitat.
Als seraphins axalçada
impetrau lo que voleu,
no us es cosa denegada
en los cels, com merexeu.
The sixth is that, arrayed,
You are the glorified ornament,
And you are made one
With the Holy Trinity.
From the exalted seraphim
You ask what you will,
Nothing is denied you
In heaven, as you deserve.
Lo setè es que sou certa
que rals goigs may finaran,
ni’n sereu ia mes deserta,
ans per tots temps duraran.
Donchs pregau per nos, amada,
y feu nos amichs ab Deu,
pus que sou tan venerada
en los cels, com merexeu.
The seventh is that you are certain
That these blessings will never end,
Nor will you ever be forsaken,
But they will endure for ever.
Therefore, pray for us, beloved,
And make us friends of God,
For you are so venerated
In heaven, as you deserve.
En lo mon pus sou dotada
dels set goigs, Mare de Deu,
d’altres set sou heretada
en los cels, com merexeu.
Most blessed in this world
With seven joys, Mother of God,
Of seven more you are the heir
In heaven, as you deserve.
8 | Juan Vasquez : Gentil señora mia,
Yo hallo en el mover de vuestros ojos
Un no sé qué, no sé cómo nombrallo,
Que todos mis enojos
Descarga de mi triste fantasia.
Busco la soledad por contemplallo,
Y en ello tantos gustos de bien hallo,
Que moriría, si el pensar durase.
Mas, este pensamiento es tan delgado,
Que presto es acabado
Y conviene qu’en otras cosas pase.
Porfio en más pensar,
Y estoy diziendo:
Si esto no acabase!
Mas, después veo que tanto gozar
No es de las cosas que pueden durar.
My gentle lady,
I find in the movement of your eyes
An I-know-not-what I cannot name,
That all my woes
Drives from my sad fancy.
I seek out solitude to contemplate them,
And in this I find such well-being,
That I shall die if these thoughts were to endure.
But then, this thinking is so slight,
That it soon fades away,
And it would be better to think of other things.
I attempt to think more of them
And say to myself:
If only this would never end!
But then, I perceive that such delight
Is not one of the things that can endure.
9 | Juan Vasquez : Cavallero, queraysme dexar,
Que me dirán mal.
Oh qué mañanica mañana,
Quando la niña y el cavallero
Ambos se yvan a bañar!
Cavallero, queraysme dexar,
Que me dirán mal.
Knight, will you leave me?
They will speak ill of me.
Oh, what a morning tomorrow,
When the maiden and the knight
Go bathing together!
Knight, will you leave me?
They will speak ill of me.
6
11 | Juan Vasquez : Agora que sé d’amor me metéis
Ay Dios, qué grave cosa!
[ monja.
Agora que sé d’amor de cavallero,
Agora me metéis monja en el monesterio,
Ay Dios qué grave cosa!
Now that I know love you send me to a nunnery.
Ah me, my God, what a sorry thing!
Now that I know the love of a knight,
Now you send me packing to a nunnery.
Ah me, my God, what a sorry thing!
12 | Juan Vasquez : El que sin ti bivir ya no querría,
Y à mucho tiempo que morir desea,
Por ver si tanto mal se acabaría,
A tu merced suplica qu’ésta lea,
Que no està ya para durar, mas parte,
Sin que d’algún alivio se provea.
He who no longer wishes to live without you,
And has long desired nothing but to die,
In order to see so much pain come to an end,
Implores your grace but to read this missive,
For he is no longer able to endure, but departs
Without being granted any respite.
14 | Juan Vasquez : Lágrimas de mi consuelo
Que aveys hecho maravillas,
Y hazeys,
Salid, salid sin recelo
Y regad estas mexillas
Que soleys.
Tears of my consolation,
What marvels you have done,
And still do,
Flow, flow without fear
And moisten these cheeks,
As usual.
15 | Matteo Flexa : La Guerra
The War
Pues la guerra està en las manos
y para guerra nacemos,
bien será nos ensayemos
para vencer los tiranos.
El capitán de esta lid
de nuestra parte, sabed
que es el hijo de David
y de la otra es Luzbel.
Y potráse decir de él
sin que nadie lo reproche:
“Quien bien tiene y mal escoge
por mal que le venga, no s’enoje”
Esta es guerra de primor
do se requiere destreza.
Pregónese con presteza,
con pífano y atambor.
Farirarirá…
Todos los buenos soldados
que asentaren a esta guerra
no quieren ir descansados.
Si salieren con victoria,
la paga que les darán
será que sempre tendrán
en el cielo eterna gloria.
El contrario es fanfarrón
y flaco contra lo fuerte.
Ordénese el escuadrón,
que no se escape de muerte.
La vanguardia llevarán
los del Viejo Testamento,
la batalla el capitán,
con los más fuertes que están
con él en su alojamiento.
La Iglesia la retarguarda.
Sus, todos al escuadrón,
mientras digo una canción:
“Pues nacistes, rey del cielo,
acá en la tierra,
quieres sentar en la guerra?
A sóle eso he venido
desd’el cielo
por la guerra que he sabido
acá en el suelo.
Yo seré vuestro consuelo
acá en la tierra,
que a sentar vengo a la guerra.”
Viva, viva nuestro capitán!
Falala… Topetop…
Sus, poned la artillería
de devotos pensamientos.
Démosle la bateria.
Las trincheras bien están.
Hacia acá tiro grueso!
Oh, que tiene tan gran peso
que no le derribarán.
Bien está, ponedle fuego
y luego, luego.
Bom, bom, peti pata…
Suelte la arcabucería
Tif tof tif tof…
For the war is at hand
And as for war we were born,
It would be good for us to venture upon it
To vanquish the tyrants.
The captain of this combat
On our side, you should know,
Is the son of David,
And on the other he is Lucifer.
And one could say,
Without anyone’s reproach,
“He who has good in him and chooses evil,
If evil befalls him, let him not complain.”
It is a war of skill
That demands great dexterity.
Proclaim it without delay
With fife and drum.
Farirarirà...
All the good soldiers
Who enrol in this war,
Let them expect nothing in this world.
If they emerge victorious,
The pay they will be given
Will be that they will have
Eternal glory in heaven.
The adversary is a blusterer
And feeble before such might.
Line up the squadron,
So that he will not escape death.
The vanguard will be
Those of the Old Testament,
The captain of the battle
With the strongest who will be
With him in his billet.
The Church will be the rear-guard.
Up, everyone to the squadron,
While I sing a song:
“Since thou wast born, King of Heaven,
Down here on earth,
Wilt thou enrol in the war?
‘For this alone I have come
Down from heaven,
For I learnt of the war
Down here on earth.
I shall be your comfort
Down here on earth,
For I have come to enrol in the war.’”
Long live our captain!
Falala... Topetop...
Up, deploy the artillery
Of devout thoughts.
Send in the battery.
The entrenchments are good.
This way with the big cannon!
Oh, it is so heavy
That it cannot be overturned.
That’s fine, fire it,
Quickly, quickly.
Bom, bom, peti pata...
Unleash the musketry
Tif tof tif tof...
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La muralla se derriba
por arriba.
Sus, a entrar,
que no es tiempo de tardar,
que el capitán, va delante
con su ropa rocegante
ensangrentada.
Nadie no vuelva la cara.
Sus, arriba, viva, viva!
Los enemigos ya huyen,
a ellos, que van corridos
y vencidos.
Santiago, Santiago!
Victoria, victoria!
Haec est victoria
quae vincit mundum
fides nostra.
The rampart is collapsing
From top to bottom.
Up, go through,
There is no time to lose,
For the captain is in front
With his splendid garments
All bloodied.
Let no one turn back.
Up, get up there, hurrah, hurrah!
The enemy is fleeing,
After them, they are confounded
And vanquished.
Santiago, Santiago!
Victory, victory!
This is the victory
That is won by the faithful
Of this world.
Translation : Derek Yeld
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