• Chavela Vargas

    La Llorona (versión larga) → English translation→ English

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The Weeping Woman (long version)

I don’t know what the flowers have, weeping woman,
The flowers in the graveyard
I don’t know what the flowers have, weeping woman,
The flowers in the graveyard
 
But when the winds sways them, weeping woman,
It looks like they are crying.
But when the winds sways them, weeping woman,
It looks like they are crying.
 
Poor me, weeping woman; weeping woman, you are my yunca1
Poor me, weeping woman; weeping woman, you are my yunca.
 
They will make me stop loving you; weeping woman,
But they will never make me forget you.
They will make me stop loving you; weeping woman,
But they will never make me forget you.
 
To an iron Holy Christ, weeping woman,
I told my sorrows;
To an iron Holy Christ, weeping woman,
I told my sorrows;
 
What my sorrows would be, weeping woman,
That the Holy Christ wept.
What my sorrows would be, weeping woman,
That the Holy Christ wept.
 
Poor me, weeping woman; weeping woman in a field of lilies.
Poor me, weeping woman; weeping woman in a field of lilies.
 
He who doesn’t know about love, weeping woman,
Doesn’t know what martyrdom is.
He who doesn’t know about love, weeping woman,
Doesn’t know what martyrdom is.
 
Two kisses I carry in my soul, weeping woman,
That never part from me:
Two kisses I carry in my soul, weeping woman,
That never part from me:
 
My mother’s last one, weeping woman,
And the first I gave to you.
My mother’s last one, weeping woman,
And the first I gave to you.
 
Poor me, weeping woman; weeping woman, take me to the river.
Poor me, weeping woman; weeping woman, take me to the river.
 
Cover me with your cape, weeping woman,
Because the cold is killing me.
Cover me with your cape, weeping woman,
Because the cold is killing me.
 
Everybody calls me the black man, weeping woman,
Black but affectionate.
Everybody calls me the black man, weeping woman,
Black but affectionate.
 
I am like the green pepper, weeping woman,
Hot but flavorful.
I am like the green pepper, weeping woman,
Hot but flavorful.
 
Poor me, weeping woman, weeping woman, weeping woman;
Take me to the river, cover me with your cape, weeping woman,
Because the cold is killing me.
If, because I love you, you want me, weeping woman,
You want me to love you more;
If I have already given you my life, weeping woman,
What else do you want? Do you want more?
 
Original lyrics

La Llorona (versión larga)

Click to see the original lyrics (Spanish)

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Comments
FredaFreda
   Tue, 29/10/2013 - 05:32

Very good translation Lilith. I just wonder about the 6th verse,
"Cuáles no serían mis penas, llorona, que el Santo Cristo lloró."

Usually when cuáles is spelled with the accent, it's in the form of
a question. It seems to me that after she told her sorrows to the iron
Christ, she's wondering, What would my sorrows be, llorona,
that the Holy Christ wept? I may not have worded that correctly
but it seems like she thinks her sorrows are so bad that they even made
Chirst cry.
What do you think?

Tiziana CossignaniTiziana Cossignani    Tue, 05/01/2021 - 15:36

I indeed agree with Roster31.
As for on "Cuáles" (just like "qué" or por qué"), the accent is maintained whether the phrase implies a question or an exclamation, the latter being this very case.

roster 31roster 31
   Wed, 30/10/2013 - 15:45

I am answering you.
Yes. That's what it means: "her sorrows were such, that even Christ himself cryed".
"Cuáles no serían..." implies, "Imagine...!

Lilith78Lilith78
   Sun, 03/11/2013 - 20:55

Hi! Thank you for your comment! Sorry I didn't answer before :)

Like Rosa says, the meaning of 'cuáles no serían mis penas' is 'my sorrows are so big'. Cuáles with the accent can be a question or an exclamation.

FredaFreda
   Sun, 03/11/2013 - 22:15

Thanks Rosa & Lilith for clearing that up for me. :)

Ww WwWw Ww
   Sat, 13/05/2017 - 04:51

Reposted same video. It was not opening. Reinitialized, now functioning. (My favorite version).

roster 31roster 31
   Sat, 23/05/2020 - 13:02

Puede querer decir "eres mi alimento", 'el pan nuestro de cada día'.

Tiziana CossignaniTiziana Cossignani    Tue, 05/01/2021 - 15:19

Hi Lilith,
I'm involved in a project whose soundtrack is based on several versions of this amazing song.
I still have to go through your whole translation, but my eye bumped into the definition you gave, through a paraphrasis, of "yunca" misinterpretation of "xunca" (also spelled "chunca", or "junca" in Castilan Spanish). It's a Zapotecan term coming from the masculin "xuncu", and referred to a young woman, the youngest daughter of a family, or simply a hypocorism expressing endearment, such as "sweetheart", "mi pequeñita".

Sorry, professional deformation! I'll tell you more after completing the reading.

Best,
Tiziana

Tiziana CossignaniTiziana Cossignani    Tue, 05/01/2021 - 10:22

I finally read it all.
As for "reboso" (also spelled "rebozo"), it's not just a cape, but more of a "shawl", the typical Mexican poncho. I'd rather leave the Spanish word, in that case, and add a footnote with a paraphrasis in English explaining it.

Good job for the rest.
I know it's sometimes hard to preserve the original meaning in any translation, but remember to keep the poetry contained in those peculiar terms.

Tiziana CossignaniTiziana Cossignani    Tue, 05/01/2021 - 15:22

The second version of Llorona, starting with "Todos me dicen el negro, llorona,
Negro pero cariñoso" contains other two quatrains:

Salías del templo un día, llorona
Cuando al pasar yo te ví
Salías del templo un día, llorona
Cuando al pasar yo te ví

Hermoso huipil llevabas, llorona
Que la virgen te creí
Hermoso huipil llevabas, llorona
Que la virgen te creí

"Huipil" is a traditional garment for women from central Mexico to Central America, whose length varies from a short blouse-like garment or long enough to reach the floor.
Both "huipil" and "reboso" were worn by Frida Kahlo.
Btw, in the autobiographical movie of 2002 there's a magnificent scene in which Salma Hayek, interpreting Frida, sits at a table where an old Chavela Vargas starts singing the amazing lyrics of Llorona (2nd version), while pouring her some tequila (I guess)...simply breathtaking!