Popurrí Navideño / Estrella de Oriente – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe
• Album: Asalto Navideño

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the richness of Puerto Rican holiday culture with this track. By listening to 'Popurrí Navideño / Estrella de Oriente,' you can learn traditional Spanish vocabulary related to the season and familiarize yourself with the rhythmic cadence of the 'seis' and 'aguinaldo' folk styles that define Caribbean musical heritage.

[English]

From a distant land we come to see you

The Star of the East serves as our guide

Oh, brilliant star that lights up the dawn

May your benevolent light never fail me

To the newborn who was born in Bethlehem

I bring frankincense with great pleasure

Glory in the highest to the Son of God

Glory in the highest, and love on Earth

From distant lands, if they give me peace, silent night, night of love

...

This was the house I was telling you about

This was the house I was telling you about

Where the Virgin Mary used to walk

The güiro, the cuatro, and the symphony

Give us their chords in the mountains

...

If you don't know me, let me introduce myself

If you don't know me, let me introduce myself

Héctor is my name, what is my last name?

Héctor is my name, what is my last name?

I place my thoughts close to my heart

I place my thoughts very close to my heart

And I dedicate my song to the Puerto Rican people

To those who have a dream, I come to inspire

I am going to sing for my homeland

...

[Spanish]

De tierra lejana venimos a verte

Nos sirve de guía la estrella de Oriente

Oh, brillante estrella que alumbra la aurora

No me falte nunca tu luz bienhechora

Al recién nacido que nació en Belén

Yo le traigo incienso con mucho placer

Gloria en las alturas al Hijo de Dios

Gloria en las alturas, y en la Tierra amor

De tierrales si me dan paz, noche de paz, noche de amor

Esta era la casa que yo te decía

Esta era la casa que yo te decía

Donde se paseaba la Virgen María

El güiro y el cuatro y la sinfonía

Nos dan sus acordes en la serranía

Si no me conocen, me doy por conocido

Si no me conocen, me doy por conocido

Héctor es mi nombre, ¿cuál es mi apellido?

Héctor es mi nombre, ¿cuál es mi apellido?

Pongo el pensamiento cerca del corazón

Pongo el pensamiento cerquita del corazón

Y dedico mi canción al puertorriqueño

El que tiene un sueño, le vengo a inspirar

Yo le voy a cantar a la tierra mía

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
tierra tierra A1	noun - earth, land, ground
estrella estrella A1	noun - star
alumbra alumbra B1	verb - to illuminate, to light up
nacido nasido A2	adjective - born
incienso insienso B2	noun - incense
gloria gloria B1	noun - glory
paseaba paseaba A2	verb - was walking, used to walk
sinfonía sinfonia B2	noun - symphony
acordes akordes B2	noun - chords
serranía serrania C1	noun - mountain range
apellido apellido A1	noun - surname
pensamiento pensamiento B1	noun - thought
corazón korason A1	noun - heart
sueño suenio A2	noun - dream
inspirar inspirar B2	verb - to inspire

Key Grammar Structures

• Nos sirve de guía la estrella de Oriente

  ➔ Pronominal use of the indirect object pronoun 'nos'.

  ➔ The pronoun 'nos' acts as the beneficiary here, indicating the star serves 'us' as a guide.

• Al recién nacido que nació en Belén

  ➔ Personal 'a' and relative pronoun 'que'.

  ➔ The personal 'a' is used before a person/entity, and 'que' introduces a relative clause describing the newborn.

• No me falte nunca tu luz bienhechora

  ➔ Subjunctive mood for wishes/requests.

  ➔ 'Falte' is in the present subjunctive, used here to express a plea or wish for the light to never be absent.

• Esta era la casa que yo te decía

  ➔ Imperfect indicative (pretérito imperfecto).

  ➔ 'Era' and 'decía' describe a background state or repeated action in the past.

• Si no me conocen, me doy por conocido

  ➔ First conditional structure (si + present indicative).

  ➔ The 'si' clause establishes a condition, followed by the main clause expressing the consequence.

• Héctor es mi nombre, ¿cuál es mi apellido?

  ➔ Interrogative pronoun 'cuál'.

  ➔ 'Cuál' is used here to ask for information or choice among possibilities.

• El que tiene un sueño, le vengo a inspirar

  ➔ Relative pronoun construction 'El que' (He who/The one who).

  ➔ 'El que' functions as the subject, meaning 'the person who'.

• Yo le voy a cantar a la tierra mía

  ➔ Periphrastic future (ir + a + infinitive).

  ➔ The structure 'voy a cantar' expresses an imminent or planned action in the future.