Translation of the song Cantares artist Joan Manuel Serrat
Cantares
Singings
Todo pasa y todo queda,
Everything passes and everything stays,
pero lo nuestro es pasar,
but our thing is passing,
pasar haciendo caminos,
passing making paths,
caminos sobre la mar.
paths over the sea.
Nunca perseguí la gloria,
I never pursued glory,
ni dejar en la memoria
nor leaving in the memory
de los hombres mi canción;
of men my song;
yo amo los mundos sutiles,
I love subtle worlds,
ingrávidos y gentiles
gravityless and gentile
como pompas de jabón.
like soap bubbles.
Me gusta verlos pintarse
I like to watch them paint themselves
de sol y grana, volar
of sun and garnet, fly
bajo el cielo azul, temblar
under the blue sky, tremble
súbitamente y quebrarse.
all of a sudden and crumble.
Caminante, son tus huellas
Walker, your footprints are
el camino, y nada más;
the path, and nothing more;
caminante, no hay camino,
walker, there is no path,
se hace camino al andar.
the path is made while walking.
Al andar se hace camino,
By walking a path is made,
y al volver la vista atrás
And by returning your sight back
se ve la senda que nunca
you see the path that is never
se ha de volver a pisar.
to be step on again.
Caminante, no hay camino,
Walker, there is no path,
sino estelas en la mar.
but trails on the sea.
Hace algún tiempo, en ese lugar
Some time ago, in that place
donde hoy los bosques se visten de espinos,
where today the forests dress themselves of Pine,
se oyó la voz de un poeta gritar:
the voice of a poet shouting was heard:
caminante, no hay camino,
Walker, there is no path,
se hace camino al andar,
the path is made while walking,
golpe a golpe, verso a verso.
stroke by stroke , verse by verse.
Murió el poeta lejos del hogar,
The poet died far from his home,
le cubre el polvo de un país vecino.
The dust of a neighboring country covers him.
Al alejarse le vieron llorar,
While distancing himself they saw him crying,
caminante, no hay camino,
walker, there is no path,
se hace camino al andar,
the path is made while walking,
golpe a golpe, verso a verso.
stroke by stroke , verse by verse.
Cuando el jilguero no puede cantar,
When the goldfinch cannot sing,
cuando el poeta es un peregrino,
when the poet is a pilgrim,
cuando de nada nos sirve rezar,
when praying gives us no use,
caminante, no hay camino,
walker, there is no path,
se hace camino al andar,
the path is made by walking,
golpe a golpe, verso a verso.
stroke by stroke , verse by verse.