Here's an updated version of the song. For clarity, I've changed the title from "Lucky parrot" to "Fortune-telling parrot." It works much better, in my humble opinion. Thanks to my friends at "The Tango Now Playing In My Head," including Theresa Faus, Paul Bottomer, Lucas TangoDJ, for their helpful input.
Cotorrita del la suerte (1927)
Music by Alfredo De Franco
Lyrics by José De Grandis
How the obrerita—the little working girl—coughs at night,
Coughs and suffers the cruel premonition
That the candle of her life is dimming,
That her tender heart will never be free of this torment!
This frisky, high-spirited obrerita,
Who once brought such happiness to her little home,
Now endures long hours of agony
Knowing there’s no salvation from her malady.
A man passes, crying,
“Fortune-telling parrot!
Predicts life or death.
Want to try your luck?”
The obrerita resists, doubting and fearing
the rose-colored card
The parrot is picking out.
On reading it, her face brightens,
and trembling at the promised good fortune
she joyfully reads: A sweetheart, long life.
And she stifles the sob in her throat.
From then on her days slip by,
Anxiously awaiting her dearly beloved,
And on the afternoon of her sad death
She asks her mother: “Didn’t he come?”
A man passes, crying,
“Fortune-telling parrot!”
[Castellano]
¡Cómo tose la obrerita por las noches!
Tose y sufre por el cruel presentimiento
de su vida que se extingue y el tormento
no abandona su tierno corazón;
la obrerita juguetona, pizpireta,
la que diera a su casita la alegría,
la que vive largas horas de agonía
porque sabe que a su mal no hay salvación.
Pasa un hombre quien pregona:
"¡Cotorrita de la suerte!
Augura la vida o muerte.
¿Quiere su suerte probar?"
La obrerita se resiste
por la duda, temerosa,
y un papel de color rosa
la cotorra va a sacar.
Al leerlo su mirada se animaba
y temblando ante la dicha prometida
tan alegre leyó: Un novio, larga vida...
Y un sollozo en su garganta reprimió.
Desde entonces deslizáronse sus días
esperando al bien amado ansiosamente
y la tarde en que moría, tristemente,
preguntó a su mamita: ¿No llegó?
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