#ramon manent

[useless-catalanfacts]

This is a beautiful traditional song from Catalonia called Lo poder del cant (“The Power of Song”).

Since it’s a very old traditional song, different people from different areas know it slightly different. I was going to post this version sang by Maria Laffitte (I think it works better on Tumblr to post a SoundCloud link?), but I’ve found this version by Ramon Manent and I have to publish it because it’s so beautiful. Both melodies are so sweet... Which one do you like more?

Here’s the lyrics in Catalan and the translation to English. Some lyrics are slightly different in both versions, I’ll write both separated with a dash.

Don Francisco se n'estava tancadet a la presó. Quan sa mare l'anava a veure / Quan sa mare en rep la nova n'hi venia una gran tristor. / ja li ve una gran tristor.

Mr. Francisco was locked in prison. When his mother went to visit him / When his mother got the news she was overcome by a great sorrow.

Ja n'hi compra una guitarra, que en tenia molt bon so, / que té un so consolador a la presó l'hi portava per calmar-li la tristor. / que la trempi al seu tenor.

She bought him a guitar that sounded very well, / that has consoling sound brought it to him in prison to calm his sorrow. / so he can tune it to his key.

- Quan la tingueu trempadeta / Quan l’haureu a to posada cantareu una cançó. - Quina voleu que jo us canti, / Quina cantaria, mare? quina en cantaria, jo?

“When you have tuned it you’ll sing a song.” “What song do you want me to sing to you, / What sound would I sing, mother? which one would I sing?”

- La que cantava ton pare el dia de l'Ascensió. - / a la Nit de l’Ascensió Don Francisco la cantava amb un to commovedor.

“The one that your father used to sing on the Feast of Ascension.” / on the Night of Ascension”, Mr. Francisco sang it in a moving key.

Els ocells així que el senten es paren per sentir el so. Les heures que van per terra s’adormien de tristor.

The birds, as soon as they hear him, stop to hear the sound, The ivies that grow on the ground fell asleep out of sadness. 

Els infants en ses bressoles s'adormen amb el seu so; els ocells que van per l'aire / tots els patges de la Reina no saben de volar, no. / no saben caminar, no.

The children in their cradles fell asleep for the sweetness; the birds that go on the air / all of the Queen’s page boys no longer know how to fly, no. / no longer know how to walk, no.

El rei també l'escoltava / La reina s’ho escoltava de dalt del seu mirador. / des del més alt mirador. ja pregunta als seus patges: - Qui és aquest cantador?

The king also listened to him / The queen was listening to it from up his enclosed balcony. / from the highest enclosed balcony. He/She asks his/her page boys: “Who is this singer?”

From here on, the two version become more different from each other. I’ll translate first one and then the other. Maria Laffitte:

Ja n'hi feien de resposta: - N'és un pres de la presó El rei de tant que li agrada, llença llàgrimes de plor.

And they give him an answer: “He’s a prisoner in jail.” The king likes it so much that he cries.

Promptament mana als seus patges que el treguin de la presó. que si ell tenia la culpa no cantaria pas, no. 

Quickly he orders his page boys to free him from jail. For if he were guilty he wouldn’t sing, no.

And the version sang by Ramon Manent:

Aquest és en Don Francisco que està tancat en presó. Ja respon així la reina: per fill el voldria jo.

This is Mr. Francisco who is locked in prison. And so the queen answers: “I would like to have him as my son.”

Ja responia la infanta per marit, mare, el vull jo. La reina mana als seus patges que el treguin de la presó.

And the princess answers “mother, I want him as my husband.” The queen orders the page boys to free him from prison.

La resposta que els hi feia que no se’n vol anar, no. Que no hi ha més galant vida que estar tancat a presó.

The answer that he gave them was that he didn’t want to leave, no. For there is not a more charming life than being locked in prison.

In this version, the prisoner doesn’t want to accept to marry just to be freed, and prefers to not lie about love and stay locked.

This song has been covered by many bands in Catalonia, with different versions.

#música #arts #traditional music #traditional song #folk music #maria laffitte #ramon manent #music #world music #music rec #song rec #català #catalan #languages #romance languages #cultures #culture