El Gatiao Viejo

The Old Tomcat

El Gatiao Viejo

Crouched down by a patch of grassAcuclinau junto a una mata'e paja
That made the wind howl like crazyQue hacía chiflar enfurecido el viento
Giving a kick to the frozen drizzleDándole el anca a la garuga helada
And frozen to the bone from the coldY entumido de frío hasta los huesos
I found that harsh June eveningHallé aquel crudo atardecer de Junio
The poor old tomcatAl pobre gatiao viejo

They had tossed him out there to dieLo habían largao allí pa que muriera
Skinny, weak, already tired and hungryFlaco, sin fuerza ya cansao y hambriento
On a path that was nothing but mudEn un camino que'ra puro barro
Where he wouldn’t find even a dry blade of grassY ande no iba a encontrar ni un pasto seco
And what’s worse, all aloneY lo que es peor, solito
Facing the harshness of the merciless winterFrente al rigor del despiadado invierno

When I crossed paths with him, his sad eyesAl cruzarme con él, sus tristes ojos
Dimmed by timeApagados por el tiempo
Looked at me in a nearly human wayMe miraron de un modo cuasi humano
And a whinny that was almost a pleaY un relincho que a cuasi fuese un ruego
Slipped out between his crooked teethSe le escapó por entre los dientes tronchos
And pierced my chest like a thornY me punzó como una espina el pecho

So I slowly approached himEntonces yo me le allegué despacio
Spoke to him like you would to a buddyLe hablé como se le habla a un compañero
Patted his ribsLe palmié, las costillas
That were almost showing through his skinQue por poco aujeriaban ya el pellejo
And ended up taking him homeY acabé por llevarmelo de tiro
Tying a rope around his neckAtándole una soga en el pescuezo

Now I have him in the barn at the ranchAhora lo tengo en el galpón del rancho
Sharing corn with my bluebirdRepartiéndose el maíz con mi azulejo
Wrapped up and sleeping on a bed of grassAbrigao y durmiendo en cama'e pasto
Like he’s some fancy stallionComo si fuese un pingo parejero
And even though he’s old, the poor guyY aunque es viejaso el pobre
I think he’ll make it through this winterPa mi que no lo basurié este invierno

With his age, he won’t be of any use to meCon sus años pa nada habrá de servirme
Even if he fattens up and gets healthy in good timeAunque engorde y empeleche en buen tiempo
But that doesn’t matter to me at allPero eso a mí, nada me importa
'Cause I didn’t bring him home for profitPues no lo traje pa sacar provecho
And I’m more than satisfied with theY estoy pagao de sobra con la
Way he looks at meForma que él me mira
When I pet him.Cuando le proseo