Subtitled Tango #28: CERO AL AS (Di Sarli/Podestá, 1944)

For your musical and poetic enjoyment, we present one of Carlos Di Sarli's most beautiful songs with Alberto Podestá in our subtitled, YouTube video. The lyrics are an extended metaphor based on generala, a type of dice-poker game using five dice thrown from a cup (cubilete) that is popular in Latin America. The song uses several specialized terms from the game; they are explained in the notes. Full Spanish/English text of the lyrics, including unsung third verse, follows the video.

CERO AL AS ("Zero to the Ace") 1944
Words: Francisco Bohígas
Music: Arturo (Hércules) Gallucci
Recording by Di Sarli and Alberto Podestá.

Full-text, with English-language version by Tango Decoder:

Agitando el cubilete con los dados del cariño, comenzó la generala pasional de nuestro amor. Yo seguí tu amante juego con la ciega fe de un niño porque vi que interpretabas el concepto del honor. Te confié en la gran partida el papel de anotaciones, convencido que, amorosa, lo sabrías respetar; y al hacerte la escalera, mi escalera de ilusiones a la altura de tu alma yo soñé poder llegar. ¡Cariñito!... Cariñito de mi vida, me embrujaste en la partida con el “full” de tu pasión. ¡Cariñito!... Me embriagaste de embelesos y en el póker de tus besos se enredó mi corazón. Continuando el desarrollo de la clásica partida comprobé tu noble juego y orgulloso me sentí; y ante el cielo de tus ojos, que a vivir hoy me convida con un beso, en mi locura, la partida interrumpí. Para gloria de mi gloria, de tu amor haciendo gala, me brindaste el paraíso de adorarte más y más; y tirando en favor mío le serviste generala a mi alma, que en la vida, ¡se encontraba cero al as!*

Shaking the dice-cup of affection, the impassioned gamble of our love began.* I played your love-game with the blind faith of a child because I saw that your intentions were honorable. In the great game I trusted you with the scorecard, convinced that, lovingly, you would know how to handle it; and while making you the “staircase,” my staircase of hopes* I dreamed of being able to reach the height of your soul. Sweet darling!... Sweet love of my life, you bewitched me in the game with the “full house” of your passion.* Sweet darling!... You got me drunk on enchantment and in the “poker” of your kisses* you confused my heart. Continuing the development of the classic game you proved generous in your play and I felt proud; and before the heaven of your eyes, that even now invite me with a kiss, in my madness, I interrupted the game. For my glory of glories, making a gift of your love, you gave me the paradise of adoring you more and more; and tossing the dice in my favor, you threw a generala to my soul, which in life always drew “zero to the ace”!*

 

A scorecard for the game of generala, with "zero to the ace." Note the scoring range: from 1 to 6, plus the combinations Escalera, Full, Poker, Generala, and Double Generala. (See notes for details.)

NOTES:

* gamble of our love: Generala pasional de nuestro amor. Generala (lit. 'call-to-arms' or 'general alert') is name of a game of chance similar to Yahtzee in the US or poker-dice in England. The song takes the play of generala as a metaphor for love. Since the song was written during WWII at a time when Argentina's newspapers were dominated by war news, it seems possible that the literal meaning of the word generala may have carried more weight than is reflected in my translation. Hence, an alternate interpretation of this phrase might be "our love's call-to-arms began."

* stairway: escalera. Literally, the word means stairway, but in generala it denotes a throw of five dice in consecutive order.

* full house: full, two dice the same, plus three dice the same, as in poker.

* poker: póker, four equal dice.

* zero to the ace: cero al as. The generala scorecard is a grid, in which each player's score each throw of the dice is recorded (see illustration). The first score of the game is entered in first numbered row of the card, which is called the "ace." To enter a zero in the first row is called "zero/zed to the ace." It means beginning the game at a disadvantage. As a slang term it also means “broke.”