Águas
de Março
É pau, é pedra, É um caco de vidro, É peroba do campo, É madeira de vento, É o vento ventando, É a chuva chovendo, É o pé, é o chão, É uma ave no céu, É o fundo do poço, É um estrepe, é um prego, É um peixe, é um gesto, É a lenha, é o dia, É o projeto da casa, É um passo, é uma ponte, São as águas de março É uma cobra, é um pau, É um passo, é uma ponte, São as águas de março |
Waters of March
A stick, a stone, It's a sliver of glass, The oak when it blooms, The wood of the wind, It's the wind blowing free, And the river bank talks The foot, the ground, A fish, a flash, The bed of the well, A spear, a spike, A truckload of bricks A mile, a must, The plan of the house, Afloat, adrift, And the riverbank talks A stick, a stone, A snake, a stick, A point, a grain, A pin, a needle, A pass in the mountains, And the riverbank talks A stick, a stone, A sliver of glass, And the riverbank talks |
Note: You will
note that the English translation is longer than the original Portuguese
version. Jobim added lyrics to the song when it made the transition to
English. If you speak Portuguese, you will also notice that some of the
English lyrics bear no resemblance to the original lyrics. For example,
the beautiful fourth stanza more properly translates to "It is wood that
resists the wind, the falls of the riverbank, it's the profound mystery,
it's wanting or not wanting." You can find more faithful (but perhaps less
lyrical) translations, such as this one or
this
one. In each case, however, both the original lyrics and translations
are flawed. Regarding the original lyrics, trust those offered at the Jobim fan site (which are the ones
offered on this page). This
translation is a little better, (and you can read about the results of
selecting the best Brazilian song of all time ... guess first, of course).
Regrettably, no translation can do justice to the original lyrics. You've
just got to learn Portuquese ![]() |