O Vello e o Sapo

The Old Man and the Toad

O Vello e o Sapo

From the distant village, the rooftops smokeDa aldea lonxana fumegan as tellas
Behind the hills, the sun is settingDetrás dos petoutos vai póndose o sol
Sheep return to the fields as night fallsRetornan prós eidos coa noite as ovellas
Nibbling on the grassy edgesTiscando nas beiras o céspede mol
An old man, leaning on a walking stickUn vello, arrimado nun pao de sanguiño
Crosses the mountain towards the pine forestO monte atravesa de cara ó pinar
He's tired; he stumbled upon a rock on the pathVai canso; unha pedra topóu no camiño
And sat down to catch his breathE nela sentóuse pra folgos tomar

-Oh! -he said-, how sad!, how sad I am!-¡Ai! -dixo-, ¡qué triste!, ¡qué triste eu estóu!
And the toad, listening, repliedI on sapo, que oía, repuso
-Croak, croak!-¡Cro, cro!

The souls are tolling!... On a night like this¡Ás ánemas tocan!... Tal noite como ésta
My house burned down, my wife diedQueimóuseme a casa, morréume a muller
My crops burned in the yard, and the livestockArdéume a xugada na corte, I a besta
The seeds in the ground went to wasteNa terra a semente botóuse a perder
I sold my lands, vineyards, and gardensVendín prós trabucos bacelos e hortas
And now I wander the world beggingE vou polo mundo de entón a pedir
But when I find the doors closedMais cando non topo pechadas as portas
The dogs chase me out and make me fleeOs cans sáienme a elas e fanme fuxir

-Sing, toad, sing; you and I are two!-Canta, sapo, canta; tí I eu ¡somos dous!
And the sorrowful toad sang:I o sapo choroso, cantaba:
-Croak, croak!-¡Cro, cro!

Alone we both are on this earthSoliños estamos entrambos na terra
But you find a hole in it and I do notMais nela un buraco tí alcontras I eu non
The winds of the mountains don't bite youA ti non te morden os ventos da serra
But my insides and bones are gnawedI a min as entranas I os ósos me rón
You, born in the mountains, wait in the mountainsTí, nado nos montes, nos montes esperas
Singing by your side, to see your endDe cote cantando, teu término ver
I, born among men, sleeping among beastsEu, nado entre os homes, dormendo entre as feras
And I do not find death, if I want to dieE morte non hacho, si quero morrer

-They toll already... Let's pray, they say there's a god!-Xa tocan... Recemos, ¡que dicen que hai dios!
He prays, and the toad sangEl reza, I o sapo cantaba
-Croak, croak!-¡Cro, cro!

The night closed in, and the moon's rayA noite pechaba, I o raio da lúa
Begins to shine on the pale peaksNas lívidas cumes comenza a brillar
A shiver runs through the treesCurisco que tolle nos álbores brúa
And in the distance, the wolf's howl is heardI escóitase ó lexos o lobo oubear
The poor old man, bent with ageO probe do vello cos anos cangado
Rose from the rock and picked up his stickErguéuse da pedra I o pau recadóu
He raised his clenched fist to the skyViróu para os ceos o puño pechado
And marched towards the bushes, mutteringE cara ós touzales rosmando marchóu

With eyes lost in the dark expanseCos ollos perdidos o na escura estensión
The toad remained singing: croak, croak!O sapo quedouse cantando: ¡cro, cro!

Croak, croak!¡Cro, cro!