Milonga Para Don Pedro (Milonga)

Milonga For Don Pedro (Milonga)

Milonga Para Don Pedro (Milonga)

Swallow pawn, tough cowboyPión golondrina, gaucho curtido
From job to job I've known himDe changa en changa lo he conocido
And abandoned in those fieldsY al desamparo de aquellas chacras
Dirty blankets, straw mattressCobijas sucias, colchón de chala

The harvester was opening furrowsLa sacadora iba abriendo melgas
Leaving potatoes on the surfaceDejando papas a flor de tierra
And that countryman who gathers and gathersY ese paisano que junta y junta
With another creole pulling togetherCon otro criollo tirando en yunta

In the heat of middayEn el resuello del mediodía
He washes his body with cold waterSe lava el cuerpo con agua fría
And when he had barely eatenY cuando apenas hubo comido
The engineer blew the whistleEl maquinista pegó el chiflido

In the late afternoon, armful of strawDe tardecita, brazada ‘e chala
He covered piles in case of frostTapó montones por si la helada
And yet poor consolationY sin embargo consuelo ‘e pobre
There's no joke that he lacksA él no hay chacota que no le sobre

When the night is already comingCuando la noche ya está viniendo
The poor go to the campSe van los pobres pa'l’ campamento
And between tricks, stories, and matesY entre truquiada, cuentos y mates
Hard wine, spicy stewVino quebracho, guiso picante
And when everything was silentY cuando todo estaba en silencio
He played milongas to fall asleepTocó milongas pa’ entrar en sueño