Tajo a Tajo (Milonga)

Cut by Cut (Milonga)

Tajo a Tajo (Milonga)

No longer do the bass stringsYa no suenan las bordonas
Of my guitar sound like beforeDe mi guitarra como antes
And they don't sing arrogantlyY no cantan arrogantes
They have become grumpySe me han vuelto rezongonas
Lazy and pamperedPerezosas y sobonas
They don't obey my commandNo obedecen a mi mando
And when I try, from time to timeY al querer, de vez en cuando
To make them sound proudHacerlas sonar altivas
They vibrate sadly, emotiveVibran tristes, emotivas
Like souls that are sufferingComo almas que están penando

The poles of my ranchDe mi rancho los horcones
Have leaned out of boredomDe aburridos se han ladeao
And they have worn out the roofY al techo lo han deslomao
Pushing against the gustsPechando los ventarrones
The rough weather has torn it apartDel tiempo los samarreones
In the cornersLo han rajao en las esquinas
And the fence of thornsY al cercao de sina-sina
That surrounded the houseCon que rodeaba la casa
Any critter can pass through itCualquiera bicho lo pasa
Because it no longer has thornsPorque ya ni tiene espinas

The whole countryside has surrenderedTodo el campo se ha rendido
To the harshness of the thistle fieldAl rigor del abrojal
And has turned the cowboy's landY al criollo viscacheral
Into a sieveEn harnero ha convertido
The livestock, of course, has goneLa hacienda, claro, se ha ido
Fleeing from those hardshipsHuyendo de esos rigores
The singing birdsYa los pájaros cantores
No longer come near the talasNo se arriman a los talas
And now bad omens are bornY aura nacen luces malas
Where flowers used to bloomDonde antes nacieran flores

What was once a flowery fieldLo que era campo florido
And a perfumed cloverY trebolar perfumao
What was a beautiful herdLo que era lindo recao
Of the proud countrymanDel paisano presumido
The ranch that was my nestEl rancho que era mi nido
Where I lived my lovesDonde viví mis amores
Everything has succumbed to the hardshipsTodo ha cáido a los rigores
Of time that, cut by cut!Del tiempo que, ¡tajo a tajo!
Is dragging me downhillMe va arriando cuesta abajo
To embitter my painsPara amargar mis dolores