Quinhentos Anos de Quê?

Five Hundred Years of What?

Quinhentos Anos de Quê?

There were three caravelsEram três as caravelas
That arrived from beyond the seaQue chegaram d'alem mar
And the land was called AmericaE a terra chamou-se América
By chance? By misfortune?Por ventura? Por azar?

He didn't know what he was doing, noNão sabia o que fazia, não
D. Christopher, captainD. Cristóvão, capitão
Brought, in vain, Christ in the nameTrazia, em vão, Cristo no nome
And in his name, the cannonE, em nome dele, o canhão

For coming at the lord's commandPois vindo a mando do senhor
And of other kings who, togetherE d'outros reis que, juntos
Reign moreReinam mais
Bombs, sails are not the white wingsBombas, velas não são asas
Of the peace doveBrancas da pomba da paz

There were only three caravelsEram só três caravelas
And they were worth more than a seaE valeram mais que um mar
As for the Indians they killedQuanto aos índios que mataram
Ah! No one could countAh! Ninguém pôde contar

When these men madeQuando esses homem fizeram
The new and much larger worldO mundo novo e bem maior
Where were our godsPor onde andavam nossos deuses
With their Andes, their condor?Com seus andes, seu condor?

What about the Christian and WesternQue tal a civilização
CivilizationCristã e ocidental
I deplore this legacy in the languageDeploro esta herança na língua
That they gave me, after allQue me deram eles, afinal

Say, America that is oursDiz, América que es nossa
Just because that's how it's believed todaySó porque hoje assim se crê
Is there a reason to celebrate?Há motivos para festa?
Five hundred years of what?Quinhentos anos de que?