“Canción del Jinete” by Federico García Lorca

[Dee]

This is Lorca's poem “Canción del Jinete” which I studied whilst doing my Open University Course.

Córdoba.
Lejana y sola.

Jaca negra, luna grande,
y aceitunas en mi alforja.
Aunque sepa los caminos
yo nunca llegaré a Córdoba.

Por el llano, por el viento,
jaca negra, luna roja.
La muerte me está mirando
desde las torres de Córdoba.

¡Ay qué camino tan largo!
¡Ay mi jaca valerosa!
¡Ay, que la muerte me espera,
antes de llegar a Córdoba.

Córdoba.
Lejana y sola


It's difficult to capture the sombre mood of Lorca's poems in translation, but this is as near as I could get.

“The Rider’s Song”

Córdoba.
Far away and alone.

Small black horse, large moon,
and olives in my saddle bags.
Although I may know the roads
I never will arrive in Córdoba.

Through the plains, through the wind,
small black horse, red moon.
Death is looking at me
from the towers of Córdoba.

¡Oh that the road is so long!
¡Oh my valiant pony!
¡Oh, that death awaits me,
before arriving in Córdoba.

Córdoba.
Far away and alone

[twoleftfeet]

Dee,

It's been a long time since I studied Spanish at school, and I don't know
Lorca.
The poem certainly has an ominous tone

I'd never come across jaca before.
I looked it up here, and it seems it can also refer to a woman
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=344896

Any thoughts?

Geoff

[David]

Nag? (Don't let my wife see this! Oh no, she just has!)

Some time later ...

Good poem though Dee. I don't speak Spanish at all, but I like what your translation does.

David

[Bombadil]

Jaca must be Chilean (Lorca was Chilean, no?) slang. I've never seen it before. Neither has my wife. Still a cool word.

-K.

Nice to see you Dee.

[cameron]

Thanks for posting this Dee.

As Geoff says, it is certainly ominous. I really like "olives in my saddle bags".

I'm afraid that my Spanish is limited to ordering a beer and a tapas, so I can't really help with the translation. However, on the English version I would prefer "I will never arrive in Cordoba" - as it sounds more natural. Also, perhaps drop the exclamation marks from the start of the lines?? It looks rather odd in English??

Nice work.

Cam

Keith - Lorca is Spanish but I think he was mates with Neruda.

[Dee]

Thanks for the interest in Lorca. Yes, he is Spanish. He was born in Fuente Vaqueros near Granada. He was murdered at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 as were many other poets, musicians and the like.

Jaca means a small horse, cob. It can also mean ‘mare’ which David translated as ‘nag’. The word Jinete means rider. So in fact at the time this poem was written it was common to see people riding small horses, mules etc. to travel around.

I take your point Cameron regarding ‘I will never return to Córdoba’. My translation was a bit too literal. In the English version the exclamation marks should not be at the beginning – this is purely a Spanish way using exclamation marks, question marks, at the beginning and the end of sentence.

Having renewed my interest in Spanish poetry I will look through my papers to see what else I can find.

Thanks everyone.

Dee