La Parda Balcarce

The Dark One from Balcarce

La Parda Balcarce

(spoken)(recitado)
Grandma Dominga, queen of the candombe,Abuelita Dominga, reina de los candombes,
teach me the song of the dark one from Balcarce,enséñeme la copla de la parda Balcarce,
because the carnival in Rosas ends tonight,que el carnaval de Rosas esta noche se acaba,
and my guitar wants to sing it like no one else.y mi guitarra quiere cantarla como nadie.

(sung)(canto)
She was the flower of the banguelas,Fue la flor de los banguelas,
in the neighborhood of the drum,en el barrio del tambor,
but no one loved herpero nadie la quería
like that singing young man.como aquel mozo cantor.
She would close her windowCerraba ella la ventana
when she heard his song,al escuchar su canción,
because Martina Balcarce,porque Martina Balcarce,
didn't have a heart.no tenía corazón.

For being with the unitariosPor andar con unitarios
he was sentenced to die,lo mandaron fusilar,
it was during a carnival in Rosasfue en un carnaval de Rosas
when she saw him go by.cuando ella lo vio pasar.
He died crippled among fourMurió inválido entre cuatro
of the Restaurador,negros del Restaurador,
and only then did Martinay recién supo Martina
realize that young man was her love.que aquel mozo era su amor.

I want to give him a kiss alone,Quiero darle un beso a solas,
she said to the chief of the barracks,dijo al jefe del cuartel,
and until they played the reveilley hasta que tocaron diana
she was alone with him.estuvo sola con él.
At ten in the morningA las diez de la mañana
they executed the singer,fusilaron al cantor,
blacks and whites criednegras y blancas lloraban
in the Neighborhood of the Drum.en el Barrio del Tambor.

Poor Martina BalcarcePobre Martina Balcarce
who looked so beautiful afterward,que linda estaba después,
she would pray for the deadiba a rezar por el muerto
every first Monday of the month.los lunes de cada mes.
It was in the next carnival,Fue en el carnaval siguiente,
in the Neighborhood of the Drum,en el Barrio del Tambor,
a light-eyed child was born,nació un pardo de ojos claros,
who was the son of the singer.que era el hijo del cantor.

(spoken)(recitado)
Grandma Dominga, who is a hundred years old,Abuelita Dominga que tiene cien años,
and had been a slave of my father's father,y había sido esclava del padre de mi padre,
in the old courtyard, behind San Francisco,en el antiguo patio, detrás de San Francisco,
who sang that song of passion and blood.que cantaba esa copla de pasión y de sangre.

And in another carnival in Rosas,Y otro carnaval de Rosas,
she kissed with mortal longingbesó con ansia mortal
the son of the executedal hijo del fusilado
and got stabbed in the back.y se ensartó en un puñal.
When Martina diedCuando murió la Martina
the son of her love remained,quedó el hijo de su amor,
blacks and whites cried,negras y blancas lloraban,
in the Neighborhood of the Drum.en el Barrio del Tambor.