Fado Português

• By: Sara Correia

Lyrics:

[Português]

[English]

O fado nasceu um dia

Fado was born one day

Quando o vento mal bulia

When the wind barely stirred

E o céu, o mar prolongava

And the sky, the sea extended

Na amurada dum veleiro

On the railing of a sailboat

No peito dum marinheiro

In the chest of a sailor

Que estando triste cantava

Who, being sad, was singing

...

...

Que estando triste cantava

Who, being sad, was singing

Ai, que lindeza tamanha

Oh, what great beauty

Meu chão, meu monte, meu vale

My land, my mountain, my valley

De folhas, flores, frutas de oiro

Of leaves, flowers, golden fruits

...

...

Vê se vês terras de Espanha

See if you see lands of Spain

Areias de Portugal

Sands of Portugal

Olhar ceguinho de choro

Blind gaze of crying

Na boca dum marinheiro

In the mouth of a sailor

Do frágil barco veleiro

From the fragile sailing boat

Morrendo a canção magoada

The wounded song dying

Diz o pungir dos desejos

It tells the sting of desires

Do lábio a queimar de beijos

From the lip burning with kisses

Que beija o ar e mais nada

That kisses the air and nothing more

Que beija o ar e mais nada

That kisses the air and nothing more

Mãe, adeus, adeus, Maria

Mother, goodbye, goodbye, Maria

Guarda bem no teu sentido

Keep well in your heart

Que aqui te faço uma jura

That here I make you a vow

Que eu te levo à sacristia

That I will take you to the sacristy

Ou foi Deus que foi servido

Or it was God who was pleased

Dar-me no mar sepultura

To give me a grave in the sea

Ora, eis que embora outro dia

Now, behold, yet another day goes by

Quando o vento nem bulia

When the wind didn't even stir

E o céu, o mar prolongava

And the sky, the sea extended

À proa doutro veleiro

At the bow of another sailboat

Velava outro marinheiro

Another sailor watched

Que estando triste cantava

Who, being sad, was singing

Que estando triste cantava

Who, being sad, was singing

Ai, que lindeza tamanha

Oh, what great beauty

Meu chão, meu monte, meu vale

My land, my mountain, my valley

De folhas, flores, frutas de oiro

Of leaves, flowers, golden fruits

Vê se vês terras de Espanha

See if you see lands of Spain

Areias de Portugal

Sands of Portugal

Olhar ceguinho de choro

Blind gaze of crying

...

...

Vê se vês terras de Espanha

See if you see lands of Spain

Areias de Portugal

Sands of Portugal

Olhar ceguinho de choro

Blind gaze of crying

...

...

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
fado /ˈfadu/ B1	noun - a Portuguese genre of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor
vento /ˈvẽ.tu/ A2	noun - wind
céu /ˈsɛu/ A1	noun - sky, heaven
mar /ˈmaɾ/ A1	noun - sea
marinheiro /ma.ɾiˈɲɐj.ɾu/ B1	noun - sailor
triste /ˈtɾiʃ.tɨ/ A2	adjective - sad
chão /ˈʃɐ̃w̃/ A2	noun - ground, floor
monte /ˈmõ.tɨ/ A2	noun - hill, mount
vale /ˈva.lɨ/ A2	noun - valley
flores /ˈflo.ɾɨʃ/ A1	noun - flowers
frutas /ˈfɾu.tɐʃ/ A1	noun - fruits
ouro /ˈo(w).ɾu/ A2	noun - gold
terras /ˈtɛ.ʁɐʃ/ A1	noun - lands, earth
areias /ɐˈɾɐj.ɐʃ/ A2	noun - sands
olhar /oˈʎaɾ/ A2	noun - look, gaze verb - to look
cego /ˈse.ɡu/ B1	adjective - blind
choro /ˈʃo.ɾu/ B1	noun - weeping, crying
frágil /ˈfɾa.ʒiɫ/ B2	adjective - fragile
barco /ˈbaɾ.ku/ A1	noun - boat
canção /kɐ̃ˈsɐ̃w̃/ A2	noun - song
magoada /mɐˈɡwa.dɐ/ B2	adjective - hurt, wounded
lábio /ˈla.βju/ B1	noun - lip
beijos /ˈbej.ʒuʃ/ A2	noun - kisses

Grammar:

• Quando o vento mal bulia

  ➔ Use of the temporal conjunction 'quando' to introduce a subordinate clause indicating time.

  ➔ 'Quando' is a subordinating conjunction used to specify the time at which an event occurs.

• Que estando triste cantava

  ➔ Use of the gerund 'estando' to express simultaneous or conditions, forming a subordinate clause with 'que'.

  ➔ 'Estando' is a gerund form indicating an ongoing or simultaneous state, often translated as 'being' in English.

• Ai, que lindeza tamanha

  ➔ Use of the exclamatory phrase 'Ai, que...' to express admiration or emotion.

  ➔ 'Ai' is an interjection expressing emotion, and 'que lindeza tamanha' is a phrase expressing great beauty or admiration.

• De folhas, flores, frutas de oiro

  ➔ Use of enumeration with commas to list objects, involving nouns preceded by 'de' to show possession or composition.

  ➔ This is an example of enumeration, where multiple items are listed separated by commas, with 'de' indicating a relationship like possession or composition.

• Morrer a canção magoada

  ➔ Use of the pronominal verb 'morrer' with the preposition 'a' to indicate direction or outcome, here metaphorically meaning 'the song dies'.

  ➔ 'Morrer' is a pronominal verb meaning 'to die', and 'a' indicates the object or direction, used metaphorically here.