On October 9, 1967, Che Guevara was summarily executed by US Rangers working in collaboration with the Bolivian army. On this day, October 15, Fidel Castro acknowledged Che's death and proclaimed three days of public mourning throughout Cuba.
It is said that during the guerrilla war, on nights when there was a lull in the fighting, Che and his compatriots liked to drink a bit of maté and listen to recordings of tangos by Carlos Gardel. It is also said that Che's favorite was the 1930 tango Como abrazado a un rencor ("As if bearing a grudge"), words by Antonio Miguel Podestá and music by Rafael Rossi. Here, perhaps for the first time in English translation, are the lyrics to Como abrazado a un rencor.
[Tango Decoder's English-language version of Como abrazado a un rencor is a joint venture of maestro de tango Paul Bottomer and TD's own Michael Krugman. Be sure to visit Paul's fascinating Facebook page, "Today's Tango Is..." Many thanks for your invaluable contribution, Paul. As always, it was a pleasure working with you! Thanks also to Dr. Martha Santos of Buenos Aires for last-minute correction of the text.]
On YouTube:
Carlos Gardel
Angel Díaz w/ Horacio Salgán
Roberto Goyeneche
Aldo Campoamor w/ Astor Piazzola
Fernando Díaz w/ Francisco Lomuto
Como abrazado a un rencor
(As if bearing a grudge)
Tango, 1930
Music: Rafael Rossi
Lyrics: Antonio Miguel Podestá
“He’s done for,” declared the womenfolk,* and the man,
already a corpse by all omens, in the last moment
of his short life of crime, left to the world the testament
of these bitter words expressing his resentment.
Tonight my bold exploits end forever;
a mysterious babble engulfs my heart.*
In the corner someone’s honing the blade of the Scythe;
he comes a bit closer to the bed, sniffing around the coffin.
The most pointless memories assault my mind:
an infancy without toys, a past without honor,
the pain of the chains that burn my wrists,
and a girl who brings my manhood to its knees.
I want to die by myself,
without confession and without God,
crucified in my sorrows
as if bearing a grudge.
Nothing do I owe to this life,
nothing do I owe to love:
one gave me bitterness
the other, betrayal.
I don’t want the hypocrisy of false tears,
nor words of consolation, I’m not looking for absolution;
I don’t expect sacraments or funeral speeches:
I surrender as calmly as I surrendered to the cops.*
Only to you, my far-away mother, if you’re still alive,
would I grant the right to light four candles for my farewell,
to pour your heart out over my heretical dying moments,
to weep over my hands and ask me for my heart.
NOTES:
* declared the womenfolk: sentenciaron las comadres. The primary meaning of the verb sentenciar is to sentence, as in "The judge sentenced him to death." The protagonist is dying—we don't know the exact cause—but he is also receiving a metaphorical death sentence.
* his short life of crime: su pobre vida rea. The word reo/rea can simply mean unhappy or deprived, but it also implies imprisonment or criminality. The latter sense seems more accurate in the context of the lyric.
* mysterious babble engulfs my heart: un chamuyo misterioso me acorrala el corazón. Chamuyo is a slang word with many meanings: a conversation, sweet talk, a lie, rubbish, nonsense. The verb acorralar means to corral (like a horse), to entrap, to corner, to enclose in a limited area, to surpise or disconcert. An alternate readings of line could be, "All sorts of mysterious rubbish unsettles my heart."
* as I surrendered to the cops. como me entregué al botón. Botón is slang for a police officer, and apparent reference to the many shiny buttons on their coats.
[Castellano]
"Está listo", sentenciaron las comadres y el varón,
ya difunto en el presagio, en el último momento
de su pobre vida rea, dejó al mundo el testamento
de estas amargas palabras, piantadas de su rencor...
Esta noche para siempre terminaron mis hazañas
un chamuyo misterioso me acorrala el corazón,
alguien chaira en los rincones el rigor de la guadaña
y anda un algo cerca 'el catre olfateándome el cajón.
Los recuerdos más fuleros me destrozan la zabeca:
una infancia sin juguetes, un pasado sin honor,
el dolor de unas cadenas que me queman las muñecas
y una mina que arrodilla mis arrestos de varón.
Yo quiero morir conmigo,
sin confesión y sin Dios,
crucificao en mis penas
como abrazao a un rencor.
Nada le debo a la vida,
nada le debo al amor:
aquélla me dio amargura
y el amor, una traición.
Yo no quiero la comedia de las lágrimas sinceras,
ni palabras de consuelo, no ando en busca de un perdón;
no pretendo sacramentos ni palabras funebreras:
me le entrego mansamente como me entregué al botón.
Sólo a usté, mama lejana, si viviese, le daría
el derecho de encenderle cuatro velas a mi adiós,
de volcar todo su pecho sobre mi hereje agonía,
de llorar sobre mis manos y pedirme el corazón...
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