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LT → Spanish → Violeta Parra → Miren cómo sonríen → English
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Watch How They Smile

Click to see the original lyrics (Spanish)
Watch how they smile,
the presidents,
when they make promises
to innocents.
Watch how they offer
the labor unions
this world and the next,
the candidates.
Watch how they multiply1
formal promises,
but after the vote
multiply torments.
 
Watch the swarm
of proctors
"to sprinkle flowers
on the student".
Watch how they shine,
the carabiniers,
"to offer rewards
to the workers".
Watch how they dress,
corporal and sergeant,
to stain with red
the pavement.
 
Watch how they profane
the sacristies
with the with furs and hats
of hypocrisies.
Watch how they whitewashed
the Month of Mary,
and for the poor blackened
the light of day.
Watch how they show off a riffle
to take from the people
their daily bread. 2
 
Watch how they dust themselves,
the public servants,
to count the sheets
of the calendar.
Watch how they manage,
the secretaries,
the friendly pages
of each journal.
Watch how they smile:
Angelical.
Watch how they forget
that they're mortal.
 
  • 1. Literally: redouble
  • 2. Marraqueta is type of Chilean "tear apart" bread.
Original lyrics

Miren cómo sonríen

Click to see the original lyrics (Spanish)

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Violeta Parra: Top 3
1.Gracias a la vida
2.Volver a los 17
3.Ojos azules
Comments
roster 31roster 31
   Sat, 02/01/2016 - 14:14

Hi, Jami!
Yo have done a beautiful translation.
I must say, that I don't know whether, in English, the idea is clear because of the subject position. For instance, "Watch how they shine, the carabiniers," instead of "Watch how the carabiniers shine..." or "watch how the candidates offer..." but, you know better than me.
A couple points:
1. "as proctors" --> "of proctors" (?)
2. "to dye with crimson"/"para teñir de rojo". Some of these expressions are specific references, and I wonder whether this one
refers to "red", the symbol of communism.
3. "with the skins and the hats" --> with furs and hats".
4. "Watch as they show off a riffle". I think you have to keep up with "watch how".
5. "their daily bread. 2" You can add, in your note, that that's the way they call that type of bread in Chile.
6. "Angelical" --> "angelicals/angelically" (?)

Good job, difficult task. Thank you.

BesatniasBesatnias
   Sun, 03/01/2016 - 00:05

"cuando le hacen promesas
al inocente."

I thought this actually meant "to the naive", or "to the gullible".

And when you write this "Watch how they offer the labor unions", isn't it necessary to add a "to" there? "to the labor unions", since they're not the ones been offered, but the indirect object.

ϕιλομαθήςϕιλομαθής
   Sun, 03/01/2016 - 16:39

Hello my friend, thanks for the input.
Both naive and gullible are excellent translations for "inocente." But I was interpreting it as "not responsible for or directly involved in an event yet suffering its consequences," like most innocent victims of lying politicians.
The "to" is usually not used in casual American English. :) In fact to my ears it sounds unnatural here.

roster 31roster 31
   Sun, 03/01/2016 - 00:38

Yes, that's what it means. You can call them innocents, can't you?

Actually 'the labor unions is as indirect object as "TO innocents". Can she get away without "to" in the second case". Jami will answer.

BesatniasBesatnias
   Sun, 03/01/2016 - 02:41

"Inocente", en el sentido de "cándido" o "ingenuo, se traduce como "naïve", o incluso "gullible". En este caso, la intención del autor, como yo la veo, es mostrar que los gobiernos le mienten a la gente y la gente se cree las mentiras. Sólo sería "innocent" si fuera en el sentido de "gente sin culpa/sin pecado/no culpables de algún crimen", o incluso que fueran inocentes como niños, puros. Quizá también sería "innocent", y probablemente irás por esta opción, si fueran "no merecedores" de tales males que les traen.

No estoy diciendo tener la respuesta, sólo trato de crear el debate para que la solución sea encontrada.

Y en lo segundo, yup.

BesatniasBesatnias
   Sun, 03/01/2016 - 23:44

Ok. ty :) then I agree with your choicie.

ϕιλομαθήςϕιλομαθής
   Fri, 08/01/2016 - 14:38

I just realized that I hadn't answered Rosa's question. While we normally wouldn't speak this way, it works in song lyrics. It's a form of hyperbaton. My original intention was to make this translation easy for any reader to follow.

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