13.   A Maiden's Prayer     (San Antonio bendito)

Affectionate Diminutives

• amoriños. Dim. and pl. of "amor" (love) translated simply "love" to preserve the tempo of stanza 7.
• carniñas. Dim. of "carnes" (fat, flesh) translated "smooth flesh" to concur with the description of its being like cream. Other options: attractive, sleek, soft.
• corpiño. Dim. of "corpo" (body, frame) translated "frail...frame" to create staggered alliteration and approximate rhyme with "saint" (4.2). A frail body is consistent with the maiden's desire to wed a man who will do the heavy chores for her.
• hirmanciño. Dim. of "hirman" (brother) translated "baby brother" to fit the description, "who has teeth already" (8.9).
• homiño. Dim. of "home" (man) translated "greenhorn." Other options: cream puff, pushover, two-bit man, weakling, wimp. This is a rare instance where the diminutive is more derogatory than affectionate.
• lanzaliño. Dim. of "lanzal" (slender, slim, svelte) translated "spare" to resonate with the phrase "red and ruddy" (6.4). The affectionate diminutive component was ignored to maintain the tempo of the stanza.
• santiño. Dim. of "santo" (saint) translated "cherished saint."
• vaquiña. Dim. of "vaca" (cow) translated "dear...cow."

Explanation of some words, terms or expressions

Saint Anthony (title). Reputed to be a matchmaker in Portuguese and Brazilian tradition.

troncho que troncho (4.7). A troncho is the stalk of a garden vegetable like cabbage, but colloquially it can also denote derision or exhaustion. Walking-stick kale can grow as tall as a person. It was traditionally used for making walking sticks. Hence this cabbage can be a pun and a metaphor for muscle stiffness, fatigue and trudging or clumping along.

Virxe do Carme (5.2). The Spanish religious icon known as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, patron saint of sailors.

YouTube Videos

This poem was arranged by composer Joaquín Rodrigo in 1951. The piece is performed below by soprano Laura Alonso Padín and Cristina Pato at the piano.