Dimokránsa (Kaka Barboza)


Kantádu ma dimokrasiâ,

Ma stába sukundidu,

Ma tudu dja sai na kláru

I nós tudu dja bira sabidu.

Kada um ku si maniâ
Fla rodóndu bira kuadrádu,

Kada um ku si tioriâ
Poi razom pendi di si ládu.

Ti Manel bira Mambiâ,

Ti Lobu bira Xibinhu,

Ti flánu ta faze majiâ

Ta poi grógu ta bira vinhu.

Mintira pom di kada dia,

Verdádi ka s’ta kontádu,

Nós tudu bira só finjidu

Ku kombérsu di dimagojiâ.

Vida bira simplismenti,
Konsedju bira ka ta obidu :

Tudu é agu na balai frádu

É rialidádi di oxindiâ.

Maioriâ sta tudu kontenti

Ku avontádi na dimokrasiâ

Fládu fla ka tem simenti,

Dipós di sábi móre é ka náda.

Inglés bem toma si tchom,

Sam-Fransisku bira más sábi,

M-kré odja róstu-nhu Djom

Ta ri ku si kumpadri.

Dja skesedu di Pepé Lópi

Bá rabuskádu Nhu Diogu Gómi,

Rasusitádu Nhu Kraveru Lópi,
Ka ta konxedu Inásia Gómi.

Ali bem témpu ditádu-Nhu Náxu

Ta bira sima juís di mininu

Gentis djunta grita abáxu

É kabésa ki dja perde tinu.

 

 

Lopsided democracy

It was said that democracy
Lopsided democracy
It was said that democracy
Was like a hidden treasure
But now that it has been found
We have all opened our eyes
And each one, relying on his judgement,
Confidently declared that what was round was in fact square,
And went to work, with a great many theories,
To prove that he was right
Et les Manuels devinrent des Maries,
Les loups se transformèrent en agneaux,
Tandis que d’autres recouraient à la magi
Pour changer le rhum en vin.
And Manuel became Mary
Wolves became lambs,
While others used magic
To turn rum into wine.
Lies became our daily lot
And truth went backstage
We all became accustomed to hiding ourselves
Behind verbal diarrhoea tainted with demagogy?
Henceforth, simplicity prevails
And no-one listens to the advice of others
No point in giving any, no-one would listen anyway!
This is the world we are growing up in.
La majorité est satisfaite,
Barbotant tranquillement dans sa démocratie.
Les rumeurs d’aujourd’hui n’auront pas de lendemain,
Lorsqu’on a connu le plaisir, la mort ne fait plus vraiment peur.
The majority is satisfied,
Happily paddling in its democracy.
Today’s rumours have no tomorrow,
When you have known pleasure, death is no longer truly frightening.
The English came to occupy their land,
São Francisco became a livelier place,
I want to see Monsieur Jean opposite,
Laughing with his friend.
Pépé Lópi has been forgotten
Diogo Gomes has been brought up to date,
Craveiro Lopes has been exhumed,
As for Inacia Gomes, no-one knows her any longer.
The time will come when old Náxu’s opinions
Will not be held in higher esteem than those of a babe in arms.
People will come together and cry: enough!

Dja-u pinta sáia d’otu kor,
Dja-u muda botom di bu buluza
Bu fazi pé sámbu sima Djulai,
Pa-u pása na mi pa-m ka konxê-u
Bu fanhi narís, dja-u troka vós,
Bu pega bu pila bu dedom di pé,
Bu trokola odju xuxa kolóla,
Bu po xupa-káka pé trokádu.
Má inda m-sta lapidu na bo minina,
E lapidu na bo minina eh eh eh eh...
Dja-u muda kaminhu pa otu rubera
Na mundu bu s’t’ánda so pa kau rabés
Ta kóri di mi
Dja-u bá mása bósta, Pilotu mordê-u na máma-kadera
Bu kré otu algem pa-m sai di bu pé
Bu da-m um borduáda-bára-marmuleru
Bu fergâ-m narís na pipí di Taréku
Bu da-m káldu d’ása-kafanhotu...
Má inda m-kuntina lapidu na bo minina
E lapidu na bo minina eh eh eh eh (bis)
(*)E lapidu na bo, m-sta lapidu na bo,
Báxu kótchi-kótchi minina, na séti bráku-bu kabésa
Na tudu pásu ki bu da, m-sta lapidu na bo.
Báxu kótchi-kótchi minina, na séti bráku-bu kabésa uoi
Na tudu pásu ki bu da - eh lapidu na bo, minina eh eh…
Dja-u tra kása tedja dja-u po betom,
Bu po muzáiku na sala-jantár,
Bu po kása finu só pa-m skorega,
Pa-m kai pa-m da kokéta na tchom !
Bu po nogósi na Sukupira :
Brajeru ki toma dja subi dja latchi !
Bu kumpra starletixou di karambóla :
Dinheru m-ka sabi dipundi ki bem !
Má inda m-sta lapidu na bo,
E lapidu na bo minina eh eh eh eh...
Bu kumpra pasáji bu bá Bisau
Bu bá fasê-m kórda ku bu iram,
Bu bá rótcha prétu bu bá kontráta
Ku Xuxu pa-u da kábu di mi di bés.
Kusa ka filâ-bu bu bira dodu,
Bu buâ na mi bu korê-m mó na koxa,
Bu odja ma mi é féru kurádu,
Bu pega bu bóka bu po na di meu.
A-gó ki-m bira lapidu na bo minina
E lapidu na bo minina, eh eh eh eh.
(*)E lapidu na bo minina, m-sta lapidu na bo,
Báxu kótchi-kótchi minina…


Stuck on you 

You have changed the colour of your skirt
And the buttons on your blouse,
You pretended to have knees as bent as Djulai
So that I would not recognize you when you passed by.
You wrinkled your nose and changed the tone of your voice,
You deformed your big toe,
You tried to look one-eyed,
And you put your clumpy sandals on the wrong feet.
But in spite of everything, I’m still stuck on you, girl,
Stuck on you ha ha ha
You began to roam another valley,
And went out of your way
To get away from me.
You walked in cow pats and the farmer’s dog bit your behind,
You found another boyfriend to put me off,
You sorely criticised me,
You rubbed my nose in cat mess,
And you served me a soup of locust wings…
But in spite of everything, I’m still stuck on you, girl,
Stuck on you, ha ha ha
But in spite of everything, I’m still stuck on you,
On your armpits, on the seven orifices of your head,
And on every step you take.
You took the tiles off your roof to put a slab of cement there,
You tiled the floor of your dining room,
You waxed and polished all the floors in your house so that I would fall down and break my neck.
You opened a stall at the clothes market,
The crook that looked after it scarpered,
You bought yourself a pretty little car, as smart as can be,
And I still don’t know how you paid for it all.
But in spite of everything, I’m still stuck on you, girl,
Stuck on you, ha ha ha
You bought a plane ticket for Bissao,
To put a spell on me with the help of a local demon,
You climbed the black rock and made a deal
With the devil to get rid of me once and for all,
But your spells turned against you and you lost your senses:
You threw yourself on me and lay your hand on my hips,
And then you knew that I was a tough nut,
So you finally pressed your lips to mine.
And here I am, stuck on you for good,
Stuck on you, ha ha ha
But in spite of everything, I’m still stuck on you
On your armpits..

Mána sta nóba bunita
Manxi ta sunha kordádu
Fla ma pobréza ka pa el
Ma trabádju kré sta-l mutu kansádu.
Ntom, e fasi um bistidu nóbu
E sai di si kutélu
Bá Práia Sánta-Mariâ
Bá ránja um kasaméntu.
Mána bá sidádi grándi
Fla amem na sakraméntu
Se mai nem ka sabi d-el,
Pai dja duenti só disgostu.
Mána ka kré kel k’é di sel
É só ta djobi pa ládu,
Kel ki Nhordés da-l é poku pa el
E fla m-e sta mutu mal kalsádu.
Mána bá sidádi grándi
Tiru saí-l pa kulátra...


Mana

 
Mana is a pretty young girl
Who likes to daydream

And says that she is not born to be poor:

Work is so tiring!
So, she made herself a new dress

And left the hill where she was born

And went to Praia de Santa Maria

To find herself a suitable husband.
Mana went to the city

And agreed to be married in front of the altar
Since then her mother has had no news of her

And her father has become sick with sadness.

Mana is not happy with what is hers,

She constantly pines after the finery of others:

What God has given her is not enough,

And her shoes are never beautiful enough for her.
Mana went to the city

And soon regretted it…

Tunuka, Tunuka bála
Ki tem koráji, é só Tunuka di meu
Sukuru ka da-l kudádu,
Ka duê-l xintidu, ki fari duê-l korasom.
Tunuka é nós ki bai,
É nos ki bem, é nos ki fika li-mé.
Nu uni korasom,
Nasionalidádi dja-nu tem dja,
Nu mára nós kondom, nós limária nu dexâ-l la.
É nós ki mbárka pa Sam Tomé
Injuriádu marádu pé
Mi ku bo  ki stába la mé
Tudu m-dádu m-da-u també
Na nós pom di kada diâ, oxi dretu manham mariádu
Ramediádu ka tem midjor
Ki spéra m-dádu m-da-u també.
Tunuka kre-u ka pekádu
Da-u ka ta fládu, má só bu da-m ki tenê-m.
Tunuka, Tunuka, Tunuka
Tunuka,Tunuka, é ti si ki-m tem pa-m fla-bu.
(solo)- Tunuka,t,t,t,t, é ti si ki-m tem pa-m fla-bu…



She has gone, No-one is as
courageous as my Tunuka
She has no fear of the darkness :
Her spirit has no concern for it and her heart even less.
Tunuka : we left, we returned,we have stayed here.
Let our hearts be as one: Henceforth we have our nationality
Let us hold on to our true values and leave aside what is unimportant
We went to work in São Tomé,
And suffered every humiliation there,
We were both there
Everthing I was given, I shared with you,
We tried to earn our daily bread:
There were days with and days without
And we had no choice but to share what others were willing to give us.
Tunuka : it is not a sin to love you
I don’t know what you are willing to give me but I know I only wish for
that which comes from you
Tunuka, Tunuka, Tunuka
Tunuka, Tunuka, this is what I wanted to say to you…
Tunuka, this is what I wanted to say to you…

In cascades

Sweet nothings and the usual notes
Passionate love stories
In cascades
At my door
Suitors and young fellowsIn cascades
Clouds of diamonds
Poems left upon my pillow
In cascades
Suitors and finery
In cascades

Love

In cascades
As you see me, pretty one
With hands outstretched, and muddy knees
Take no heed of my appearance
And when the time comes, let’s be frank
I used to be the queen around here
And the eyes of these gentlemen
Would gaze upon my pleasing person
Are you surprised ?
Hollyhocks and pretty hearts
On special nights
In cascades
Clouds of diamonds
Poems left upon my pillow

In cascades
Suitors and finery
Enough to die for, if only you knew

In cascades
Presents every day
In cascades

Love
In cascades
Desire, drunkenness, the moon,
My pretty one, all were my due
By a stroke of bad fortune
I have lost it all
And in the memory of Man or Apostle
Who can say right now
When like no other before
I fascinated the whole world ?
Sweet nothings and the usual notes
Passionate love stories

In cascades
At my door
Suitors and young fellows

In cascades
Suitors and finery
Enough to die for, if only you knew

In cascades
Presents every day
More than can be counted on ten fingers

Good fortune and youth

Never last

I have learnt that to my cost

Give me a bite to eat my pretty

Take to the skies and be good to me,

My young thing, my darlin’…
Sweet nothings and the usual notes
Passionate love stories

In cascades
At my door
Suitors and young fellows

In cascades
Hollyhocks and pretty hearts
On special nights
In cascades
Clouds of diamonds
Poems left upon my pillow

In cascades
Suitors and finery
Enough to die for, if only you knew

In cascades
Presents every day
More than can be counted on ten fingers

Tudu diâ sima ta manxi,
Kel gálu bedju ta dizafina ;
Orédja grándi kabésa stretu
É kel makáku fórti fasténtu !
Tóni ka sta poku sórna
Bilita nganâ-l kabésa,
Sipriánu ki fasê-m malfetu
Kontra ku mi purguntâ-m si-m sta dretu.
Má nha sibitchi é fitchádu na petu !
Má nha sibitchi... má nha sibitchi...
Más um diâ pa-m bá luta
Pa-m labuta ku nha tchom
Rasekádu pa sol, nganádu pa tchuba !
Na rabolisu di vizinhánsa
Midjor é vivi sukundidu
Fládu fla ka ta skrebedu
Má bu bida dja ká konxedu.
Tóni ka sta poku sórna
Bilita nganâ-l kabésa,
Sipriánu ki fasê-m malfetu
Ragánha denti purgunta si-m sta dretu.
Má nha sibitchi é fitchádu na petu !
Má nha sibitchi é fitchádu na petu !
Fónga é li-mé ku si láta d'água,
Armándu é na Ru-Bás djuntu ku Fónga,
Dumingas nha gentis stória é mutu tcheu,
Manxi tchora labánta mó pa seu !
Tánha é ku si résa ku si finasom,
Djuzé ki dádji perdi si razom.


My jet-black pearl

Every morning, at dawn
That old cock sets about singing out of tune;
And that monkey, with its big ears and little head,
What a nuisance!
Antoine is a real half-wit :
Bilita cheated him well and good,
Cyprien cast a spell on me
But when he sees me, he still asks me if I’m well.
But deep in my heart I carry my jet-black pearl
To protect me, my pearl of jet…
Yet another day of toil awaits me,
A day that I’ll spend ploughing this land
Burnt by the sun and drenched by the rain.
When faced with gossip
The best answer is to live in hiding:
There is no need to put such rumours to paper,
Everyone already knows your life in detail.
Antoine is a real half-wit :
Bilita cheated him well and good,
Cyprien cast a spell on me
Smiled and asked me if I was well.
But deep in my heart I carry my jet-black pearl
To protect me, my pearl of jet…
Fonga is there, carrying her buckets of water on her head,
As for Armando, he is still at Rui Vaz, with her,
Talking of Domingas, there would be a great deal to tell:
As soon as she gets out of bed, she sets to wailing and moaning!
Tanha is busy with her commemorative ceremonies and songs
And José, having hit his wife, lost both his reason and his rights.

Luâ fika ku mi más um kusinha
Dexâ-m lambuxa na bo,
Limia nha korpu ku káima !
Luâ dés ki témpu na aitura
Bu limia nórti, bu limia sul
Bu limia préta, bu limia bránka, Luâ !
Luâ riba riba mutu riba,
Pa riba simbrom ku tambarinha,
Riba trópa ku nhu pádri, Luâ !
Lua nóba sima Rikardina
Más rodónda ki Putchutcha
Xeia sima petu-Sheila, Lua !
Lua, limia riba, xeia!
Xeia, lua, limia, riba!


Moon

 
Moon, stay with me a little longer

Let me come close to you
Illuminate me with your gentle glow
Moon: how long has it been

That you light up the world from north to south,
That you give your light to blacks and whites?

Moon: you are so high in the sky,

Above the jujube and the tamarind trees,

Above the soldier’s sword and the priest’s holy water sprinkler!
New moon as young as Ricardina

Rounder than the sumptuous Putchutcha,

More generous that Sheila’s breast!

Full moon, shine on me,
Moon, your full light is in the heavens

Oh vida di már, vida di piskador
Regrésu tom nsértu tenê-m kurasom ku dor !
Alê-m li xintádu, na kais di bu partida
Xintidu angustiádu i lágrimas di amor.
Má ku tudu fé m-ta djobi seu,
M-ta pidi Deus pa bránda már
Pa bu navega kaminhu di vólta
Ku bóti karegádu pa um diâ más diskansádu.
Mudjer di piskador ku se sánta na altár
Um véla pa kada noti...
Obi som di nha búziu, bem pa mi
Ka bu bai más lonji ki si...
Oh már! oh seu !
Trazê-l pa pértu-mi !
Dixâ-l p-e bem brasâ-m !


Upon the waves

O how hard it is, the life of a fisherman
The uncertainty of your return makes my heart bleed!
Here I am sitting on the quay from which you left,
With my anguish and the tears of my love for you.
But I don’t lose faith, and with my eyes raised to heaven,
I implore God to make still the waves,
So that you can return with ease,
With a good catch and a little time to stay with me.
A little time when I need worry no more….
The fisherman’s wife stands before the statue of the Virgin,
She lights a new candle each time he sails away.
Listen to the sound of my conch, come back to me,
Do not go away
O sea, o heaven!
Bring him back to me!
Let him return so that he might embrace me once again!

Mi ja-m oiá kma vida li tá mut difísil
Má solusom ka emigrá pa bá sofré
Na solabánk di mar, dbóx d'grit d'komandant
I s'bo tchgá na térra é pa lová Nós Senhor Jezus Krist.
Ranja-m trabói m-kré fiká
Mi m-ka mesté pasaport
Nhas dokumént é:
Nxada, martel, má nhas dos bróss.
Ka-nhos pintcha-m pa-m bai,
Fidj ka ta kriá na ninhu sem pai.
Nha pai skrevê-m
Pa-m bá tratónd d'nhas papelada
Má nha korasom
Ja fla kma nãu : kaminh di bai !
Má també m’ka podé, fká li d'riba parbóx
Sempr ta spiá trabói, má um brók d'kaza k’é pa-m morá.
Ranja-m trabói k’é pa-m ganhá
Akel pãu di kada dia
Pok li-dént é tcheu, fortuna la fóra é fantazia.
Ka-nhos pintcha-m pa-m bai,
Fidj ka ta kriá na ninhu sem pai.


The little that we have…

I know so well that life here is very hard,
But the solution is certainly not to emigrate, to go and risk your life
On the sea’s mighty waves and suffering the captain’s wrath:
With all that, if you arrive safe and sound,
you can give thanks to God!
Let me work, I want to stay here
I don’t need a passport,
I already have all the documents I need:
My hoe, my hammer and my two arms.
Don’t force me to leave,
You can’t raise children in a nest deserted by their father.
My father wrote to advise me
To get together the necessary papers
But my heart has already said no to the option of leaving.
On the other hand, I cannot stay here, toing and froing,
Looking for work that is impossible to find and an imaginary
Little house to live in.
Give me some work, just enough to earn my
Daily bread,
The little we have here is already a great deal.
The fortune that is meant to be waiting for us elsewhere is nothing
But a dream.
Don’t make me leave,
You can’t raise children in a nest deserted by their father.