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    Armando Manzanero

    El Ciego → English translation

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The Blind Man

Click to see the original lyrics (Spanish)
Have you seen how it loses its joy:
an already empty fountain when missing water?
It's the saddest thing in this world,
and that's how I feel for you, just for you.
 
Do not listen to the cry of the birds,
when they see with bitterness
that their nest is lost.
It's the saddest thing in this world
and that's how I feel for you, just for you.
 
Do not look when a blind man falls in love,
when he wants to see the sunrise and starts to cry,
And the moon suffers when it shines,
and there's not two lovers who want to contemplate it.
 
Do not look when the sun is setting,
cause the day is dying and the night has come.
It's the saddest thing in this world
and that's how I feel for you, just for you.
 
Original lyrics

El Ciego

Click to see the original lyrics (Spanish)

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Armando Manzanero: Top 3
1.Contigo aprendíSubtitles
2.Adoro
3.Felicidad
Comments
Sweet LatinaSweet Latina    Tue, 21/05/2013 - 07:51

Hello!
I think it's well translated but there're some mistakes :p
like in 1st line "no has visto como pierde su alegria "it would be "you haven't seen how (it)loses its joy "

"cuando quiere ver la aurora como se pone a llorar "it would be "when he wants see the sunrise how (he )starts to cry "

"pues el dia esta muriendo y la noche le llego " it would be "cause the day is dying and the night has already came "

I don't know haha ... but I think it has more sense when we read the complete verse.. well I tried to help u.. :p.. and btw nice song.. Amo a Manzanero. un capo!

bill.levine.33bill.levine.33
   Wed, 22/05/2013 - 08:36

Muchas gracias. I think it's better now. ;) Might need a few more small fixes...

Di NarDi Nar    Thu, 03/05/2018 - 05:18

Actually the last part is poetically correct, the sun died, meaning (day) and set meaning (night) had reached the day, when the light and darkness become one poets had referenced it to the sunset or the death of the day...

Di NarDi Nar    Thu, 03/05/2018 - 05:18

Actually the last part is poetically correct, the sun died, meaning (day) and set meaning (night) had reached the day, when the light and darkness become one poets had referenced it to the sunset or the death of the day...

Vimto12Vimto12    Thu, 23/05/2013 - 13:28

not bad, here's my suggestions as promised :)

title: the blind man

verse 1, line 1: the original lyrics should be: 'has visto cómo pierde su alegría'
I'm guessing this is referring to the blind man of the title -> 'have you seen how he loses his sadness'

line 2: needed

line 4: and that's how I feel for/because of you

verse 2, line 2/3: when they see with bitterness/that their nest has disappeared/is lost

verse 3, line 4: there's not [even] two lovers that want to gaze at it

verse 4, line 2: '...and the night has reached it' - 'it' referring to the day I presume

roster 31roster 31
   Fri, 24/05/2013 - 11:01

Hola Bill,
You already got opinions, and your translation is in good shape. However here are my comments.
Interpretation:
1. The two first lines are a question, and even if there is not question mark in the original, you can put it at the end of the second verse.
2. I agree with Sweet Latina, the pronouns in first verse are "it" and "its", in reference to the fountain.
It is not clear, in the poem, who the blind man is. I think it is himself, the person who talks. Any way, it doesn't affect the lyrics.
Errors ? Third stanza, second verse: "when he wants TO see..."
Style- The style is something Personal. Mine would be:
1. First verse: You say "happiness", Sweet Latina suggest "joy". It's good too.
2. Second verse: The original says, "... when it run out of water'
3. Fourth verse (chorus) I would say, "this is the way I feel for you".

And this is it. You have done a good job. Thank you!
3. In "la noche le llegó", yes, to the day.

bill.levine.33bill.levine.33
   Sun, 26/05/2013 - 06:20

THANK YOU, muchas gracias for all the help! I finally understand this poem by El Maestro: a lovelorn lover is feeling like a blind man that can't see and know what is happening around him, and is lonely and deluded. It's a powerful metaphor.

THe effort we took to translate this will show in the feeling of the lyrics.

roster 31roster 31
   Sat, 25/05/2013 - 14:25

Well done, Bill.
A little (maybe unnecessary) detail: In the third stanza, fourth verse, last word, "this", I would change it to "that", just for the heck of rhyming.

roster 31roster 31
   Mon, 27/05/2013 - 10:16
5

Tres gracias que te mereces
What the heck. Let's go for five!

Valeriu RautValeriu Raut
   Sun, 26/05/2013 - 07:55

Hello Bill Levine,

No doubt that Armando Manzanero is a great bolero composer, bur he is not a good singer.
I invite you, Rosa, Vimto and your readers to listen to Los Panchos playing and singing this song:
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/los-panchos-el-ciego-lyrics.html

Note two small accent problems in your Spanish lyrics:
Has visto (cómo) COMO pierde su alegría
Es la cosa (mas) MÁS triste de este mundo

See you later !

roster 31roster 31
   Sun, 26/05/2013 - 12:14

Vale, there is a note for you on your suggestion of "El ciego".

bill.levine.33bill.levine.33
   Sun, 26/05/2013 - 20:27

Valeriu, thanks for your corrections, they have been added! :)

I also appreciate the version done by Los Panchos, and I think it takes the original song into a further direction.

As a gringo from Los Angeles, I actually enjoy the singing of Armando Manzanero, but he was from a different era and a different context, so I can understand why people would prefer other people covering his songs. Certainly, Andrea Bocelli and Louis Miguel are more popular. https://lyricstranslate.com/en/te-extrano-i-miss-you.html-4

The whole reason I have ben wanting to learn translations of Manzenero is that I was a session keyboardist with him on Coriñosamente, a CD from 1989.

Valeriu RautValeriu Raut
   Mon, 27/05/2013 - 06:29

Hello Bill,
I see that the corrections haven't been added.

Between 1978-1980 I lived in Long Beach and Los Angeles. (without Green Card)
In Long Beach - by Bixby Park, 3rd cross Cerry Ave.
In Los Angeles - in West Hollywood, near Poinsetia sporting place, on Fuller Street.

Somos gringos.

bill.levine.33bill.levine.33
   Mon, 27/05/2013 - 08:06

It's a small world. \\Please clarify re any final fixes. "como" and "mas" should be...? In english we say "the devil is in the details."

Vimto12Vimto12    Mon, 27/05/2013 - 09:40

I updated the lyrics :)
It should be 'cómo' (as a question is implied? - correct me if I'm wrong) and 'más'

Valeriu RautValeriu Raut
   Mon, 27/05/2013 - 10:16

Hello Vimto,

It should be:
Has visto como pierde su alegría (como - without accent)
and
Es la cosa más triste de este mundo (it is already corrected)

Thanks.

ArenaL5ArenaL5    Mon, 27/05/2013 - 16:38

Nisah's right about having "como" with an accent. Interrogative (or exclamative), "cómo" ('how') has it; when it's just a kind of particle connecting two words/sentences ('like'), it hasn't.

That más does have an accent.

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