Gaivota

• By: Amália Rodrigues

Lyrics:

[Português]

[English]

Se uma gaivota viesse

If a seagull came

Trazer-me o céu de lisboa

To bring me Lisbon's sky

No desenho que fizesse

In the drawing it would make

...

...

Nesse céu onde o olhar

In that sky where the gaze

É uma asa que não voa

Is a wing that cannot fly

Esmorece e cai no mar

Fades away and falls into the sea

Que perfeito coração

That perfect heart

No meu peito bateria

Would beat within my chest

...

...

Meu amor na tua mão

My love, in your hand

Nessa mão onde cabia

In that hand where my

Perfeito o meu coração

Perfect heart fit perfectly

...

...

Se um português marinheiro

If a Portuguese sailor

Dos sete mares andarilho

Wanderer of the seven seas

Fosse quem sabe o primeiro

Were perhaps the first

A contar-me o que inventasse

To tell me what he imagined

Se um olhar de novo brilho

If a new sparkle in your gaze

No meu olhar se enlaçasse

Would intertwine with mine

Que perfeito coração

That perfect heart

...

...

No meu peito bateria

Would beat within my chest

Meu amor na tua mão

My love, in your hand

Nessa mão onde cabia

In that hand where my

Perfeito o meu coração

Perfect heart fit perfectly

Se ao dizer adeus à vida

When saying goodbye to life

As aves todas do céu

All the birds in the sky

Me dessem na despedida

Would give me, in farewell

O teu olhar derradeiro

Your final gaze

Esse olhar que era só teu

That look which was only yours

Amor que foste o primeiro

Love, you were the first

...

...

Que perfeito coração

That perfect heart

No meu peito morreria

Would die within my chest

...

...

Meu amor na tua mão

My love, in your hand

Nessa mão onde perfeito

In that hand where my

Bateu o meu coração

Perfect heart was beating

...

So true

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
gaivota /ɡajˈvɔtɐ/ B1	noun - seagull
céu /sɛu/ A2	noun - sky
olhar /oˈʎaʁ/ B1	verb - to look
coração /koɾaˈsɐ̃w/ A2	noun - heart
amor /aˈmoʁ/ A1	noun - love
mão /mɐ̃w/ A2	noun - hand
mar /maʁ/ A1	noun - sea
perfeito /pɛʁˈfejtu/ B1	adjective - perfect
despedida /dɨʃpeˈdida/ B2	noun - farewell
brilho /ˈbɾiʎu/ B1	noun - brightness
vida /ˈvidɐ/ A1	noun - life
saber /saˈbeʁ/ B1	verb - to know
contar /kõˈtaʁ/ A2	verb - to tell
inventar /ĩvẽˈtaʁ/ B2	verb - to invent
bater /baˈteʁ/ B1	verb - to beat

Grammar:

• Se uma gaivota viesse

  ➔ Subjunctive mood with 'se' + past subjunctive of 'vir' (viesse)

  ➔ Expresses a hypothetical or wishful action in the past ('if' clause).

• Que perfeito coração

  ➔ Use of 'que' as a relative pronoun to describe 'coração', with 'perfeito' as an adjective.

  ➔ Using 'que' to connect clauses and describe 'coração' (heart), emphasizing its perfection.

• Nessa mão onde cabia

  ➔ Use of 'onde' as a relative adverb meaning 'where' to specify location.

  ➔ Using 'onde' to specify a location related to 'mão' (hand).

• Se ao dizer adeus à vida

  ➔ Use of 'ao' + infinitive ('dizer') and the preposition 'a' with 'vida' to form an idiomatic expression.

  ➔ Combination of preposition 'a' with the infinitive 'dizer' to indicate 'saying' something to or about 'vida' (life).

• Que perfeito coração

  ➔ Use of the adjective 'perfeito' before 'coração' to describe its state, forming a predicate.

  ➔ Adjective 'perfeito' describes the 'coração', emphasizing its ideal or complete state.

• No meu peito bateria

  ➔ Use of 'no' as a contraction of 'em' + 'o' to specify location; 'bateria' as the verb 'to beat' in the present tense.

  ➔ Prepositional contraction 'no' indicates 'in my chest'; 'bateria' as the verb meaning 'to beat' or 'throb'.