Ojalá que llueva café en el campo I hope it rains Coffee in the countryside
que caiga un aguacero de yuca y té that a heavy shower of yuca and tea pour down
del cielo una jarina de queso blanco from heaven a light coating of white cheese
y al sur una montaña de berro y miel and from the south a mountain of watercress and honey
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Ojalá que llueva café I hope it rains coffee
Oh, Ojalá que llueva café en el campo Oh, I hope it rains coffee in the countryside
peinar un alto cerro de trigo y mabuey combing an high hill with wheat and Indian yam
bajar por la colina de arroz graneado slide down a hill of grain rice
y continuar el arado con tu querer and continue the plowing with your love
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Ojalá el otoño en vez de hojas secas I hope the autumn instead of dry leaves
pintan mi cosecha de pitisalé paint my harvest with savory meats
siembre una llanura de batata y fresas sow a plain with sweet potato and strawberries
Ojalá que llueva café I hope it rains coffee
Pa’ que en el Conuco no se sufra tanto So that the Conuco doesn't suffer so much
Ojalá que llueva café en el campo I hope it rains coffee in the countryside Pa'que en Villa Vasquez oigan este canto So that in Villa Vasquez they can hear this song Ojalá que llueva café en el campo I hope it rains coffee in the countryside
Ojalá que llueva, ojalá que llueva, ay hombre I hope it rains, I hope it rains, oh man
Ojalá que llueva café en el campo I hope it rains coffee in the countryside
Ojalá que llueva c-a-f-é I hope it rains c-o-f-f-e-e [Interludio Musical] [Musical Interlude]
Ojalá que llueva café en el campo I hope it rains coffee in the countryside
sembrar un alto cerro de trigo y mabuey sow a high hill with wheat and Indian Yam
bajar por la colina de arroz graneado slide down a hill of grain rice
y continuar el arado con tu querer and continue the plowing with your love
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Ojalá el otoño en vez de hojas secas I hope the autum instead of dry leaves
pintan mi cosecha de pitisalé paint my harvest with savory meats
siembre una llanura de batata y fresas sow a plain with sweet potato and strawberries
Ojalá que llueva café I hope it rains coffee
Pa’ que en el Conuco no se sufra tanto So that the Conuco doesn't suffer so much
Ojalá que llueva café en el campo I hope it rains coffee in the countryside
Pa' que los Montones oigan este canto So that in the Montones they can hear this song Ojalá que llueva café en el campo I hope it rains coffee in the countryside
Ojalá que llueva, ojalá que llueva, ay hombre I hope it rains, I hope it rains, oh man
Ojalá que llueva café en el campo I hope it rains coffee in the countryside Ojalá que llueva café-é I hope it rains coffee-e
Pa’ que todos los niños canten en el campo So that all the children can sing in the countryside Ojalá que llueva café en el campo I hope it rains coffee in the countryside
Pa' que la Romana oiga este canto So that the Roman hear this song Ojalá que llueva café en el campo I hope it rains coffee in the countryside Ojalá que llueva, Ojalá que llueva, ay hombre I hope it rains, I hope it rains, oh man
Ojalá que llueva café en el campo I hope it rains coffee in the countryside
The other day I was with some friends discussing the topic of language and how unfortunate it is that some people do not embrace it for the blessing that it truly is; for example, as it is used in song. I personally believed early humans learned to sing before they mastered the art of conveying ideas to one another through the spoken word. But that is another subject for another day. Back to language, in this case Spanish, which when subjected to sound opens a new world to it's listener. A song tends to compartmentalize language into smaller sections allowing us to learn how other languages are composed. In song, music becomes the main interpretational tool. Words become secondary to the emotions the rhythm evokes yet the sounds entices the mind to learn more. Humans are uncanny wonderful creatures that have the ability to create diverse venues to instill understanding and comprehension. And what better way to so than through song? It is the reason Lullaby's and Nursery Rhymes exist. Infusing our developing brains with the learning of language and bathing us in a musical realm.
Let me introduce you to one of most prolific Hispanic singer, song writer, composer and producer of our modern era, Juan Luis Guerra. This man has been writing and singing about much more than love since the 1980's. He studied music theory at El Conservatorio Nacional de Música de Santo Domingo, then attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. Juan Luis Guerra Seijas graduated in 1982 with a degree in Jazz Composition.
Accompanied by his band, 4-40, he introduced the world to such great hits like "El Niagara en Bicicleta" (The Niagara on Bicycle) an idiom for something difficult to achieve; "Bulbujas de Amor" (Love Bubbles) heavily metaphorical (warning may cause blushing); and "La Bilirrubina" (The Bilirubin) an imagined medical condition caused by a girl's refusal. Juan Luis Guerra is a master poet. One of his beautiful lyrics questions whether a rose is wearing a full length dress or nothing at all.* He did not limit himself to one genre incorporating diverse rhythms like merengue, bachata-fusion, balada, salsa, rock and roll and even gospel. Juan Luis, through his numerous compositions, brought attention to issues that others turned their backs on. Like poverty, social injustices, doomed romances because of social/economic backgrounds and failed governmental policies of his native, Dominican Republic.
Juan Luis Guerra is a world renowned performer, human rights activist, philanthropist and very much still active at 61. He has received countless nominations for Grammys for Album of the Year and Record of the Year, and many other accolades since starting his musical career in 1984; including a Doctorate from his alma mater Berklee. But as with so many great geniuses, his works are too many to translate in my humble little blog, so I have chosen three of my favorites:
1. El Costo de La Vida (The Cost of Living) 2. Ojala que Lluva Cafe (I Hope It Rains Coffee) 3. Estrellitas y Duendes (Little Stars and Elves)
Even limiting myself to three songs is a big task. So I will have to break it down into a song per page; including a video of the song. I will translate El Costo de La Vida on this page. I invite you to enter my world.
Enjoy. [I apologize for the format in which the translation is done. I have yet to master using columns in Blogger]
"El Costo De La Vida" "The Cost of Living"
El costo de la vida sube otra vez The cost of living rises again el peso que baja, ya ni se ve
the dollar drops, it can't be seen
y las habichuelas no se pueden comer and the beans can not be eaten
ni una libra de arroz, ni una cuarta de café nor a pound of rice, nor a fourth of coffee a nadie le importa qué piensa usted no one cares what you think
será porque aquí no hablamos inglés must be because here we do not speak English
Ah, ah es verdad (3x) Ah, ah oh yes (3x)
Do you, understand?
Do you, do you?
Y la gasolina sube otra vez And the gasoline goes up again
el peso que baja, ya ni se ve the dollar drops, it can't be seen
y la democracia no puede crecer and democracy can not grow
si la corrupción juega ajedrez if corruption play chess
a nadie le importa qué piensa usted no one cares what you think
será porque aquí no hablamos francés must be because here we do not speak french
Ah, ah vous parlez? (3x) Ah, ah do you speak? (3x)
ah, ah non, Monsieur ah, ah no, Sir
¡Eh!... Eh! (a sigh)
Somos un agujero We are a hole
en medio del mar y el cielo between the ocean and sky
quinientos años después 500 years later
una raza encendida a burning race
Negra, Blanca y Taína Black, White and Tania (Native American)
¿pero quién descubrió a quién? but whom discovered whom? Uhm é verdad, uhm é verdad, uhm é verdad For real, for real, for real
Ay, el costo de la vida Ay, the cost of living
eh, ya ves, pa(ra) arriba tú ves eh, you see, going up you see
y el peso que baja the dollar drops
eh, ya ves, pobre ni se ve eh, you see, poor dear can't be seen
y la medicina and the medicine
eh, ya ves, camina al revés eh, you see, walks backwards
aquí no se cura here nothing is cured
eh, ya ves, ni un callo en el pie eh, you see, not even a callous on your foot
Ay, ki-iki-iki
eh, ya ves, ay ki-iki-é eh, you see, ay ki-iki-é
y ahora el desempleo and now the unemployment
eh, ya ves, me mordió también eh, you see, it bit me too
a nadie le importa, no no one cares, no
eh, ya ves, pues no hablamos inglés eh, you see, since we don't speak English
ni a la Mitsubishi nor at the Mitsubishi
eh, ya ves, ni a la Chevrolet eh, you see, nor at the Chevrolet [Interludio Musical] [Musical Interlude]
La corrupción pa-arriba The corruption rises
eh, ya ves, pa-rriba tú ves eh, you see, going up you see
y el peso que baja the dollar drops
eh, ya ves, pobre ni se ve eh, you see, poor dear can't be seen
y la delincuencia and delinquency
eh, ya ves, me pilló esta vez eh, you see, pinned me down this time
aquí no se cura here nothing is cured
eh, ya ves, ni un callo en el pie eh, you see, not even a callous on your foot
Ay, ki-iki-iki
eh, ya ves, ay ki-iki-é eh, you see, ay ki-iki-é
y ahora el desempleo and now the unemployment
eh, ya ves, me mordió también eh, you see, it bit me too
a nadie le importa, no no one cares, no
eh, ya ves, pues no hablamos inglés eh, you see, since we don't speak English
ni a la Mitsubishi nor at the Mitsubishi
eh, ya ves, ni a la Chevrolet eh, you see, nor at the Chevrolet
¡Oye! Listen!
[Improv.]
Uhm é verdad, uhm é verdad, uhm é verdad
For real, for real, for real
Eh Mama eh
Oh Mama, oh
La recesión pa-rriba The recession is growing
eh, ya ves, pa-rriba tú ves eh, you see, going up you see
y el peso que baja the dollar drops
eh, ya ves, pobre ni se ve eh, you see, poor dear can't be seen
y la medicina and the medicine
eh, ya ves, camina al revés eh, you see, walks backwards
aquí no se cura here nothing is cured
eh, ya ves, ni un callo en el pie eh, you see, not even a callous on your foot
Ay, ki-iki-iki
eh, ya ves, ay ki-iki-é eh, you see, ay ki-iki-é
y ahora el desempleo and now the unemployment
eh, ya ves, me mordió también eh, you see, it bit me too
a nadie le importa, no no one cares, no
eh, ya ves, pues no hablamos inglés eh, you see, since we don't speak English
ni a la Mitsubishi nor at the Mitsubishi
eh, ya ves, ni a la Chevrolet eh, you see, nor at the Chevrolet
*"Te Regalo una Rosa" (Bachata Rosa), Juan Luis Guerra - 2013
Some time has passed since I first opened an American History book and read about the Civil Rights Movement and the impact one particular man, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had during that tumultuous time. The story behind a group of African Americans refusing to ride a bus because they were not allowed to sit were they pleased. Or not allowed to sit down in a section of a lunch counter designated "whites only" while being attacked by the Caucasian patrons and employees. Or marching, peacefully, hand in hand and being confronted by armed police barricades, police dogs and water hoses. I must admit, such conflict was confusing to me. The child in me was foreign to concepts of free speech, civil rights and human dignity. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was born Michael King, Jr., on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. "In 1934, his father, a pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, traveled to Germany and became inspired by the Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther. As a result, King, Sr., changed his own name as well as that of his 5 year old son."-History.com Dr. King is now well known throughout the world as a powerful speaker of great spiritual strength. An activist. A Civil Rights Figure. And a Clergyman. Throughout his academic studies in Morehouse College (1948), he was introduced to the work of men like Mahatma Ghandi. MLK also excelled at Crozer Theological Seminary and earned a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology in 1955 from Boston College. I am sure this academic and religious background helped him adopt and embrace the stance of peaceful social change through non-violent means which was popularly coined "civil disobedience". MLK was instrumental in the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56, which was inspired by the arrest of Rosa Parks when she refused to give up her seat to a Caucasian man on a public bus. Racial segregation on city buses was ruled unconstitutional in 1956. The Boycott was successful and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., became a national hero.
On the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1963, Dr. King organized a march on Washington, D.C. which drew 200,000 Americans of all ethnicities and backgrounds. The gardens in front of Washington D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial transformed into a sea of humanity demanding rights for minorities. It became the immortal and magical place where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his now famous "I Have a Dream" speech. A place where, if only for a moment, we all came together as a nation. Among Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s many accomplishments are the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize (becoming the youngest recipient at the time) and author of many writings including: Stride .Toward Freedom (1958), Why We Can't Wait (1969) and Where Do We Go From Here? Chaos or Community (1967). Tragically, as is the case with so many seekers of peace, his tenure on this earth was cut short on April 4, 1968 by an assassin's bullet. He was just 39 years old. A Pastor. A husband and a father. A great loss to us as a nation. Proof of the damage that unchecked hate can cause. As a Latina woman, a minority twice over, I am more than grateful to Dr. King and the countless brave men and women, of different races, who fought the good fight during the late 1950's and 1960's. I was just a child when Dr. King was taken from us. But due to his tireless tenacious work, selfless sacrifice and continued progress by the Civil Rights Movement; all Latinos are beneficiaries of that struggle. Desegregation and equality laws protect people who look and speak like me. And gives everyone a chance for a better life. I feel very proud that there is such a day as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; celebrating such an impressive and courageous man.
All I can humbly say is, I can feel the impact your life has in my life everyday. Thank you!!!
En mi Viejo San Juan By: Noel Estrada (1943) Genre: Bolero
En mi viejo San Juan In my old San Juan Cuántos años forjé Many years were forged
En mis noches de infancia In my nights of infancy Mi primera ilusión My first illusion Y mis cuitas de amor My troubles in love Son recuerdos del alma Are memories of the soul Una tarde me fui In an afternoon I left Hacia extraña nación To a strange nation Pues lo quiso el destino Thats how destiny wished it Pero mi corazón But my heart Se quedó frente al mar Stood facing the sea En mi viejo San Juan In my old San Juan Adiós, adiós, adiós Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye Borinquen querida Beloved Borinquen Tierra de mi amor Land of my love Adiós, adiós, adiós Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye Mi diosa del mar My goddess of the sea Mi reina del palmar My queen of palm groves Me voy I leave Pero un día volveré But I will return one day A buscar me querer To search for my love A soñar otra vez To dream again En mi viejo San Juan In my old San Juan Pero el tiempo pasó But the time passed El destino burló Destiny made fun of Mi terrible nostalgia My terrible nostalgia Y no pude volver I could not return Al San Juan que yo amé To the San Juan that I loved Pedacito de patria Little piece of country Mi cabello blanqueó My hair turned gray Ya mi vida se va My life is ending Ya la muerte me llama Death calls me Y no quiero morir And I do not want to die Alejado de ti Far from you Puerto Rico del alma Puerto Rico of my soul Adiós, adiós, adiós Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye Borinquen querida Beloved Borinquen Tierra de mi amor Land of my love Adiós, adiós, adiós Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye Mi diosa del mar My goddess of the sea Mi reina del palmar My queen of the palm groves Me voy I leave Pero un día volveré But I will return one day A buscar me querer To search for my love A soñar otra vez To dream again En mi viejo San Juan In my old San Juan Enjoy the video of the song sang by a Japanese Orchestra and Vocalist.
I truly believe that there are no coincidences in this world. Whether you believe in God, a Higher Power or whatever is totally up to you. I choose to believe there is a Divine order to our lives. And with that in mind, believe that every single person you meet along the way has a purpose in your life. I read somewhere or heard somewhere, that sometimes a person comes into your life to teach you a lesson. And many times are not meant to stay. I refuse to accept that. I am greedy. I want to keep all my friends!!! My journey into the National Federation of the Blind began with a phone call. Not from the organization itself but from my sister Marilyn. For those that do not know my sister, a phone call from her could last 2 hours. She was given the task of looking-after a blind friend (Israel) of her ex-husband. She had no idea what to do. So Marilyn did what she usually does when she doesn't know what to do, she called me. That set me on the path to learning about the NFB. But back to my present adventures and the subject of this blog. Unless you happen to be blind or know someone who is losing their sight, you might not know of an amazing organization named the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). This non-profit organization has been around since 1940. Organized by a group of blind individuals who believed that they had the same rights and responsibilities as any other person. People who believed they had the abilities to do anything anyone else could do. Can you imagine that? Actually, the only thing unimaginable should be that we still allow discrimination of certain individuals and that such organization had to be created at all! Imagine being told that you are unsuited to raise your child due to losing your sight? And you have to go through the horror of a custody battle to prove your worth and keep your child. Or that you don't deserve minimum wage and are paid less for doing the same job as a sighted person? Only 32% of people who are blind are employed. Not because they lack skills or are unwilling. It is hard to convince a company to employ someone they believe will not be productive. Unfortunately, the first thing the public thinks about when they encounter a blind person is that they are "helpless". I have been part of my local chapter, the National Federation of the Blind, Greater Jacksonville Chapter, since 2013; and let me tell you this group of wonderful individuals that I have grown to love and respect, are anything but "helpless". They work and attend school. They take care of their babies and husbands and wives. And it is in this aspect, the changing of our nation's perception of what a blind person is capable of, that I have committed my energy and passion. I invite all my family, friends and acquaintances to go to the National Federation of the Blind website nfb.org and read about this organization and all that it does for so many people, not just those that are blind. Dedicated to: Israel, Marita, Andy, Russ, Georgi, Joe, Latoya, Liz, Erica, Gina, Kirk, Quasia, Sue, Larry, Kaye, Glen, Ronasita, Toni, Doug, Carol, Jay, Levi, James B., James H., Bobby, Jessica E., Tracie, Cheryl, Fallon, Sherry, Mary M., Mary Kay, Heather, Carla, Keisha, Sharon R., Johnny, John F., Jessica M., Sister Elizabeth, Kathy.
