A Don Ata – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Soledad

Lyrics & Translation

[Spanish]

[English]

Por el camino del indio y el ánima de Don Ata

On the path of the Indian and the spirit of Don Ata

En su alazán montado lo vió pasar la vidala

He saw him pass on his chestnut horse, the vidala

El aire del cerro las flores del valle

The mountain air, the flowers of the valley

Se le enredan en el alma ay ay ay a Don Ata

They get tangled in the soul, oh oh oh, Don Ata

...

...

Una luna tucumana que aluna piedra y caminos

A Tucuman moon that lights stones and roads

Y junto a la pobrecita lo lloran montes y ríos

And beside the poor one, mountains and rivers mourn for him

Por Tafí Del Valle campos de acheral

Through Tafí Del Valle, fields of Acheral

También por la Bamba y Lules igual por Amaichá

Also through La Bamba and Lules, just like in Amaichá

...

...

La criollita santiagueña para aliviarla del frío

The little criolla from Santiago to warm her up from the cold

Le teje un poncho pampa al payador perseguido

Knits a poncho for the pursued payador

Allá por Barrancas y por Salavina

Over there in Barrancas and in Salavina

La humilde con la mirada le busca guarida

The humble one looks for shelter with her gaze

Ahí anda Don Atahualpa por los caminos del mundo

There goes Don Atahualpa on the roads of the world

Por una copla, por lanza marcando los cuatro rumbos

For a couplet, for a lance marking the four directions

Que Dios lo bendiga, lo tenga en la gloria

May God bless him, keep him in glory

Por tantos recuerdos lindos y por su memoria

For so many beautiful memories and for his memory

...

...

Un arriero solitario pasó por Altamirano

A lonely muleteer passed through Altamirano

Con un silbo nostalgioso en busca de sus hermanos

With a nostalgic whistle in search of his brothers

Arriando sus penas por no encontrarlos

Driving away his sorrows for not finding them

Se fue yendo despacito del pago entrerriano

He went slowly from the Entre Ríos area

Se viene aclarando el día por el Cerro Colorado

The day is clearing up over Cerro Colorado

Y en las esquinas del Churqui se estrella un rayo cortado

And at the corners of Churqui, a broken lightning strikes

Despierta la añera por la gulchaqueña

The yearning awakens by the gulchaqueña

San Francisco del Chañar y también Santa Elena

San Francisco del Chañar and also Santa Elena

Un aire de Buenos Aires le dió su canto de viento

A breeze from Buenos Aires gave him its wind song

Y se durmió en una huella en un estilo sin tiempo

And he fell asleep in a trace, in a timeless style

Allá en Pergamino tal vez Santa Rosa

Over there in Pergamino, perhaps Santa Rosa

Lo llora toda La Pampa en una bordona

All of La Pampa mourns him in a bordona

Ahí anda Don Atahualpa por los caminos del mundo

There goes Don Atahualpa on the roads of the world

Por una copla por lanza marcando los cuatro rumbos

For a couplet, for a lance marking the four directions

Que Dios lo bendiga, lo tenga en la gloria

May God bless him, keep him in glory

Por tantos recuerdos lindos y por su memoria

For so many beautiful memories and for his memory

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
camino /kaˈmi.no/ A2	noun - path or route
indio /ˈin.ðjo/ B1	noun - indigenous person from the Americas
ánima /ˈa.ni.ma/ B2	noun - soul or spirit
montado /monˈtaðo/ B1	adjective - mounted, on horseback
pasar /paˈsaɾ/ A2	verb - to pass by, to go through
llorar /ʝoˈɾaɾ/ A2	verb - to cry
montes /ˈmon.tes/ B1	noun - mountains
ríos /ˈri.os/ A2	noun - rivers
gloria /ˈɡlo.ɾja/ B2	noun - glory, fame
recuerdos /reˈkweɾðos/ B1	noun - memories
bordona /bɔɾˈdo.na/ C1	noun - ballad or song, especially in traditional or folk style
caminos /kaˈmi.nos/ A2	noun - plural of camino; ways or paths
gloria /ˈɡlo.ɾja/ B2	noun - glory, praise

Key Grammar Structures

• Se le enredan en el alma ay ay ay a Don Ata

  ➔ The use of indirect object pronoun 'se le' plus reflexive verb 'enredan' to indicate the actions happening to the indirect object.

  ➔ The phrase "se le" indicates the action is happening to the indirect object, in this case, Don Ata. The verb "enredan" means "are tangled" or "are ensnared."

• Por el camino del indio y el ánima de Don Ata

  ➔ Prepositional phrase 'Por el camino de...' to indicate 'along the way of...' or 'through the...' and use of possessive 'de Don Ata' to denote possession.

  ➔ The preposition "Por" introduces the phrase indicating movement along or through a certain place. "De Don Ata" shows that the path or soul belongs to Don Ata.

• Que Dios lo bendiga, lo tenga en la gloria

  ➔ Use of the subjunctive "bendiga" (from 'bendecir') to express a wish or hope, and the verb "tenga" (from 'tener') in a subjunctive or imperative sense to express a blessing.

  ➔ The verb "bendiga" is in the present subjunctive mood, used here to express a wish for God's blessing. "Tenga" is also in the subjunctive, used to express a blessing or good wish.

• Una luna tucumana que aluna piedra y caminos

  ➔ Use of relative clause "que aluna piedra y caminos" to describe the moon, with the verb "aluna" from 'alunar' meaning 'moonlight' or 'illuminate'.

  ➔ The relative pronoun "que" introduces this clause, describing the moon. "Aluna" comes from 'alunar', meaning to shine or reflect moonlight on stones and paths.