El Niño y El Canario

The Boy and The Canary

El Niño y El Canario

The canary was a beauty and its owner was a little boyEra el canario un primor y era su dueño un pequeño
Who diligently watched over the singer's careQue velaba con empeño los cuidados del cantor
It was a beautiful specimen of a damask colorEra un hermoso ejemplar de color adamascado
It was a resigned prisoner to the mission of singingEra un preso resignado a la misión de cantar

It was touching to hear from its melodious throatEra sensible escuchar de su garganta sonora
The deep note that cries in constant supplicationLa nota grave que llora en un constante rogar
Its singing indicated that it was suffering anguishDaba a entender su trinar de que una angustia sufría
Because in the absence of joy, its flute was a sorrowPorque a falta de alegría era su flauta, un penar

One day, its owner, the innocent little boy who used to be enrapturedUn cierto día su dueño, el candoroso pequeño qué se solía extasiar
By observing the splendors of such divine colors and such beautiful singingAl observar los fulgores de tan divinos colores y tan hermoso cantar
Took his complaints to the sky because, trapped on the cage's bars of the small prisonLlevó hasta el cielo sus quejas porque prendido a la reja de la pequeña prisión
In slow and sad agony, his faithful canary was dying without understanding the reasonEn lenta y triste agonía su fiel canario moría sin comprender la razón

Overwhelmed by deep sorrow, tears rose to his eyes and with childlike emotionPreso de un hondo quebranto subió a sus ojos el llanto y con infante emoción
He took the prisoner out of the cage; he placed a kiss from his mouth on the pink plumageQuitó de la jaula al preso; poso de su boca un beso sobre el rosado plumón
And in his trembling hand, a rose fell asleep that had a heartY en su mano temblorosa quedó dormida una rosa que tenía un corazón

The wooden box, the same that containedLa cajita de madera, la misma que contuviera
The same that contained a little colored pencilLa misma que contuviera un lapicito de color
Was the final resting place of the one who in his life wasFue la morada postrera de aquel que en su vida era
Of the one who in his life was his most precious treasureDe aquel que en su vida era su más preciado valor

And in the garden of his house, at a very short distanceY en el jardín de su casa a distancia muy escasa
At a very short distance from a legendary walnut treeA distancia muy escasa de un legendario nogal
The poor creature cried; the poor creature criedLloró la pobre criatura; lloró la pobre criatura
While digging the grave of his unmatched singerAl cavar la sepultura de su cantor sin igual