Translation from Galician to English of CANTARES GALLEGOS by Rosalia de Castro

19. Flow Past, River, Flow Past, River (Pasa, río, pasa, río)

Background

"Pasa, río, pasa, río" is related to "Good-Bye Rivers, Good-Bye Fountains" (poem #15).

Affectionate Diminutives

caladiño. Dim. of "calado" (quiet, silent) translated "hushed and mum." The motive for using the affectionate diminutive here is sadness so an affectionate modifier (e.g. sweetly) is inappropriate. The choice made attempts to endow the passing river with figurative respect for the woman's sorrow.
caminiño. Dim. of "camino" (path, route, trail, way) translated "narrow path." Another option: dear trail.
camiño (path, route, trail, way). Not a diminutive.
froliñas. Dim. and pl. of "frol" (flower) translated "delicate flowers" (1.3) and "pretty flowers" (5.1).
lagrimiñas. Dim. and pl. of "lágrima" (teardrop) translated "few teardrops." The affectionate diminutive may sensibly qualify only the amount of crying, i.e. the number of teardrops. It is unrealistic to have the qualifier "shrink" the teardrops or peg affection on them.
pretiño. Dim. of "preto" (close to, near) translated "next to." Other options: very close to, very near.
probiñas. Dim. and pl. of "probe" (poor, hapless) translated "poor forlorn ones." Other options: poor unhappy ones, sad unfortunate ones.

Explanation of some words, terms or expressions

Pasa, río. The verb "pasar" in reference to a river can variously be translated as "flow past" (1.1, 2.1) "flow" (1.3) or "pass by" (6.1).

Dainty flowers of golden and ivory colour (1.3-4). Daisies.

Carril (5.4). The port of Carril was in De Castro's day the pier of departure for many emigrants. The town of Carril is located at the mouth of the river Ulla.

Next to my loves (6.7). The plural form of "love" is sometimes used poetically in the Galician language to suggest depth of feeling rather than a particular number of love objects.

YouTube Videos

Recital: Year 2014 Tribute To Rosalía de Castro (starts at min. 0:26).

Pasa, río, pasa, río,
co teu maino rebulir;
pasa, pasa antre as froliñas
color de ouro e de marfil,
a quen cos teus doces labios
tan doces cousas lles dis.

Pasa, pasa, mais non vexan
que te vas ao mar sin fin,
porque estonces, ¡ai, probiñas,
canto choraran por ti!

¡Si souperas que estrañeza,
si souperas que sofrir
desque del vivo apartada
o meu corazón sentiu!

Tal me acoden as soidades,
tal me queren afrixir,
que inda máis feras me afogan,
si as quero botar de min.

I, ¡ai, que fora das froliñas
véndote lonxe de si
ir pola verde ribeira,
da ribeira do Carril!

Pasa, pasa caladiño,
co teu manso rebulir,
camiño do mar salado,
camiño do mar sin fin;
e leva estas lagrimiñas,
si has de chegar por alí,
pretiño dos meus amores,
pretiño do meu vivir.

¡Ai, quen lagrimiña fora
pra ir, meu ben, onda ti!...
¡Quen fixera un camiñiño
para pasar, ai de min!

Si o mar tivera barandas,
fórate ver ao Brasil;
mais o mar non ten barandas,
amor meu, ¿por donde hei de ir?

Flow past, river, flow past, river,
With your gentle stir;
Flow, flow amid the delicate flowers
Of golden and ivory colour,
To whom you say with soft lips
Such sweet nothings.

Flow past, flow past, but may they not perceive
That you are heading to the boundless sea,
For then—alas, poor forlorn ones!—
How much they would grieve over you!

If you knew what a sense of loss,
If you knew what amount of suffering
My heart felt
Ever since I live apart from him!

Feelings of loneliness flock to me so,
Wish to afflict me so,
That more feral yet they throttle me
If I wish to get rid of them.

And alas! what'd befall the pretty flowers
On seeing you from a distance
Go by the green margin
Of the riverside at Carril!

Pass by, pass by hushed and mum,
With your gentle stir,
On your way to the salty sea,
On your way to the boundless sea;
And take these few teardrops along
If you will make it all the way out there,
Next to my loves,
Next to my life.

Ah, who were a lone teardrop
To go where you are, my love!...
Who could hew a narrow path
To cross over, hapless I!

If the sea had balustrades,
I'd go to visit you in Brazil;
But the sea has no balustrades,
My love, which way should I go?

Translation from Galician to English of 11 poems by Rosalia de Castro

Archived translations from Galician to English of poems by Rosalia de Castro