As you can see, I wrote that last post on the laptop and didn’t check what it looked like on mobile before publishing. Sorry, it wasn’t meant to be read as a vertical column of letters going on for page after page!
Fixed it now.
Oh Dear
Category: English
Today’s Homework was to Write a Sonnet, So Here’s a Blog with Words Written On It
Image by Oberholster Venita from Pixabay
Following yesterday’s blethrings about someone else’s sonnet, Português em Foco was like “OK, so why not try one yourself?”
Happy to report the number of errors was pretty low, which is a relief, because it would have been hard to correct without knackering the syllable count! Thanks as always to Cristina for helping weed out the mistakes.
Os anos passam, a vida avança,
Piso sempre esta minha trilha,
Olho com saudades a maravilha
Desta, minha sempre-crescente pança.
Estamos neste baile, então, dança
Até perderes uma sapatilha.
Tu és a minha única filha
Ainda que já não sejas criança.
És mulher, cada dia mais capaz
Mais bela e forte do que toda a gente
Igual ao teu pai, brilhante e sagaz.
Segue os teus sonhos. Por mais que tente
O tempo nunca anda para trás
Então, filha, vive e anda em frente.
Português em Foco Being Português em Foco
Spent ages trying to work out what “a persona poética Império” might mean and couldn’t find it in the original text the question is based on. Turns out it’s just a mistake and the last word only appears on the page where you write the answers, not in the printed book. 😠
Why you do dis to me, Português em Foco?
Easy One!
I was surprised to see a Brazilian website ask its readers “Qual é a única palavra em português que tem plural no meio?”, because it’s a word we students usually learn very early on, so wouldn’t it be blindingly obvious to a native speaker? Well, no apparently, or at least whoever prompted an AI to write this thing didn’t think so.
For those who don’t know, or can’t remember, I’ll stick the answer under this picture 👇
Ans Qualquer (pl Quaisquer) Original article here.
Dois Dedos de Testa
I’m trying to get familiar with Carolina Deslandes’ back catalogue now that I have tickets to see her. When I reached “Dois Dedos de Testa” I was intrigued by the title, which means “two fingers of forehead”. What could it mean? I went down a few dead-ends when I researched it: the first site I found was explaining that having dois dedos de testa (ie, a forehead that’s more than two fingerwidths deep) was a sign of whether or not a fringe would suit you. But I was pretty sure the sing wasn’t about hair styling. I finally found this page which sums it up in the first line
Ter dois dedos de testa costuma ser sinónimo de gente inteligente, com boa cabeça
So I think that’s the relevant meaning: being clever, having common sense. I’m going to translate “ter dois dedos de testa” as “to be smart” in the lyrics for simplicity’s sake and because “to have two fingerwidths of forehead” would sound ridiculous.
The video also starts with “fátima futebol fado”, which was the Estado Novo’s equivalent to “bread and circuses”: the way of focusing the population’s attention away from thoughts of revolution. She changes it to one she likes better.
All in all, I really like the lyrics. Sometimes I do these translations and the lyric are baffling, sometimes they’re too easy, but I like that this had some mysteries that could be solved and led me to discover new things.
| Português | Inglês |
|---|---|
| Ser mulher aqui é ser mulher de quem? Ter um papel assinado pra ser alguém Ser decente, quem se apresenta à mãe Mesmo que o filho não valha a mulher que tem | Being a woman here means being who’s wife?* To have a role assigned to be someone To be decent, someone fit to meet your mother Even though the son isn’t worthy of the woman he has |
| Ser mulher aqui é ser submissa Rezar o terço, dizer sim e ir à missa Não ter opinião, ser bonita Ser tão nova quanto o estado e andar bem vestida | To be a woman here is to be submissive Pray the rosary**, say yes and go to mass Don’t have a opinion, be pretty Be as young as the state*** and be well-dressed |
| E eu que tenho a liberdade debaixo dos braços Tenho brasas a arder debaixo dos pés Pus uma pedra sobre o meu passado E se o que eu sou ofende quem és | And i who have freedom in my grip**** I have coals burning under my feet I put a stone on top of my past***** And if who I am offends, who you are |
| Deixa-me abanar a cabeça, põe mais vinho nesta mesa Que eu, eu quero esquecer Quero ser o centro da festa, o assunto da conversa Eu, eu quero aparecer | Let me shake my head, put more wine on this table Because me, I want to forget I want to be the centre of the party, the subject of conversation Me, I want to appear |
| Deixa-me abanar a cabeça, põe mais vinho nesta mesa Que eu, que eu hoje faço um brinde Quero ser dona da festa, tenho dois dedos de testa Sou a voz e nem sou boa ouvinte | Let me shake my head, put more wine on this table Because me, I want to make a toast I want to be the mistress of the party, be smart I’m the voice and I’m not a good listener |
| Foi deixada, abandonada É carente e mal amada Está tão triste e tão sozinha Pobrezinha | She was left, abandoned She was needy and barely loved She’s so sad and so alone Poor thing! |
| Sem apelido e sem marido E de quem será o filho? Está cansada, ela trabalha Coitadinha, coitadinha | Without a surname, without a husband And who’s child is it? She’s tired, she works Poor thing, poor thing! |
| Deixa-me abanar a cabeça, põe mais vinho nesta mesa Que eu, eu quero esquecer Quero ser o centro da festa, o assunto da conversa Eu, eu quero aparecer | Let me shake my head, put more wine on this table Because me, I want to forget I want to be the centre of the party, the subject of conversation Me, I want to appear |
| Deixa-me abanar a cabeça, põe mais vinho nesta mesa Que eu, que eu hoje faço um brinde Quero ser dona da festa, tenho dois dedos de testa Sou a voz e nem sou boa ouvinte | Let me shake my head, put more wine on this table Because me, I want to make a toast I want to be the mistress of the party, be smart I’m the voice and I’m not a good listener |
| E eu que tenho a liberdade debaixo dos braços Tenho brasas a arder debaixo dos pés Pus uma pedra sobre o meu passado E se o que eu sou ofende quem és | And I who have freedom in my grip**** I have coals burning under my feet I put a stone on top of my past***** And if who I am offends, who you are |
| Deixa-me abanar a cabeça, põe mais vinho nesta mesa Que eu, eu quero esquecer Quero ser o centro da festa, o assunto da conversa Eu, eu quero aparecer | Let me shake my head, put more wine on this table Because me, I want to forget I want to be the centre of the party, the subject of conversation Me, I want to appear |
| Deixa-me abanar a cabeça, põe mais vinho nesta mesa Que eu, que eu hoje faço um brinde (brinde) Quero ser dona da festa, tenho dois dedos de testa Sou a voz e nem sou boa ouvinte | Let me shake my head, put more wine on this table Because me, I want to make a toast I want to be the mistress of the party, be smart I’m the voice and I’m not a good listener |
* This sentence loses a lot of its cleverness in the translation, I think
**Catoliquices! Actually, strictly speaking, the Terço is just part of the rosary, I think. I hung out with a lot of catholics at uni so I more-or-less know what this is about but I’m a bit vague about the details. Here’s what o Santuário de Fátima has to say about it if you’re interested.
***Another one that loses some of its force in english – it’s another reference to the Estado Novo, if I read it correctly
****Debaixo do braço is a set phrase meaning grasped under the arm, next to the body, so I am picturing her holding liberdade like a rugby ball
*****This one smelled like an expression too. Most results return as “colocar uma pedra sobre” and “pôr” is less common but obviously scans better. You can find both on this page. I think we’re meant to imagine the stone as a paperweight you put on your work when you’ve finished writing or something. It means what we would now call “drawing a line under” the subject, basically, putting a full stop to the sentence.
Obscure Arguments
I was just arguing with someone about whether the common Brazilian use of the word “falar” exists in European portuguese. In Brazil it is often used interchangeably with “dizer” ao you get hideous travesties like “‘Dá-me uma banana’ falou o macaco”. The first time I encountered this I was shocked to the core but then I mentioned it to a portuguese guy and he said it exists in Portugal too, albeit less common. Priberam seems to back this up – it’s the second definition – but the guy seemed to think I’d been misinformed. Maybe he’s right, I dunno, I’m only going by what I’ve been told.
Aaaaaaaaanyway, while I was searching this blog for the post I wrote about it at the time, I came across this post that I had forgotten all about because i have the memory of a goldfish. It’s about a different controversy. I wonder if part of the reason I make so many mistakes is that I spend too much time trying to unravel weird edge cases like this and not enough learning the genders of common nouns ending in e.
Sigh.
Marathon Course
I’m really looking forward to this. Currently at 18 miles in my long runs but not exactly impressive speeds. I hope I actually make it. My history of failing to start Portuguese running races is truly disgraceful.
Eh pá…
Racismo
Os javardolas e criminosos que andam a atacar pessoas na rua e a assaltar os restaurantes, as mesquitas e as lojas estão cada vez mais sem vergonha. Até atacaram dois enfermeiros filipinos. Qual espécie de sacana é que espancaria uma pessoa cujo emprego é salvar vidas, por amor de deus.
O meu irmão e os seus colegas, apesar de não serem imigrantes foram avisados pela polícia de sair do seu escritório antes da hora de partida porque são advogados e têm clientes que pedem cidadania.
Isto é deprimente. Ainda penso no meu país como um sítio acolhedor, mas os últimos anos desde o Brexit têm minado aquele espírito de generosidade.
Faz Faísca e Chavascal
Translation Time! I was drawn to this song because it has two words I don’t recognise in the title. They proved to be incredibly hard to translate. If you go directly from what Priberam says, the title means “It makes sparks and a barren wasteland” which obviously makes no sense. I asked around and the answers I got were
- Faísca is a light effect and Chavascal a sound effect
- Both are synonms for chaos and
- A pointer to this page, with the suggestion that definition 5 was the relevant one.
OK, so it’s noisy, chaotic. So… an explosion? Some sort of massive freak-out or general mayhem?
Next question: What the heck tense is it in? Portugal is very sparing with its national pronoun reserves, and it’s not totally clear whether “faz” is third person present (talking about the experience she’s having?) or second person imperative (telling you, the listener what to do). In other words is she saying “It makes sparks…” or “Make sparks!” I think the second, just because some of the lines don’t make sense otherwise. It brings confetti to the garden? How?
So assuming whatever faísca and chavascal mean they’re something that a human is capable of doing, I’ve gone with “Be flashy and make a scene”. I’m sure this is debatable but this seems like it follows a trend line through the available evidence and I hope I’m not too far wrong.
The actual music is a bit odd. The arrangement has a whiplash change of mood, going from sultry club jazz to cringey pop when it hits the chorus, and some of the camera work is quite shonky too, but never mind, here we go!
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| aaaaaahhh acordo a tempo de chegar ensaio o espaço e volto atrás sem ver os tons a mudar ooooohh, aaaaahhh esperei sete ondas para saltar clarões em branco e lilás quem são os teus orixás? pergunto | aaaaahhh I wake up when it’s time to arrive I study the space and turn back Without seeing the tones change Ooooohh, aaaaahhh I wait seven waves before jumping Flashes of white and lilac Who are your idols*? I ask |
| faz faísca e chavascal got addicted, não tem mal não és tu (não és tu…) traz confettis pro quintal com pitanga é carnaval tudo cru, ooooohhh faz faísca e chavascal faz faísca e chavascal got addicted, não tem mal ooooohhhh | Be flashy and make a scene Got addicted, don’t take it badly It’s not you (it’s not you) Bring confetti to the garden With pitanga** it’s carnival All raw, ooooohhh Be flashy and make a scene Be flashy and make a scene Got addicted, don’t take it badly ooooohhh |
| água na boca vinho a compensar nada no ombro e nada pra falar dá sempre pra duvidar ou então largar as rosas no mar | Water in the mouth Wine to compensate Nothing on the shoulder And nothing to sat It always makes me doubt Or even leave roses in the sea |
| faz faísca e chavascal faz faísca e chavascal traz a fruta tropical faz o próprio carnaval | Be flashy and make a scene Be flashy and make a scene Bring the tropical fruit make your own carnival |
| faz faísca e chavascal got addicted, não tem mal não és tu (não és tu…) traz confettis pro quintal com pitanga é carnaval tudo cru, ooooohhh | Be flashy and make a scene Got addicted, it’s not bad It’s not you (it’s not you) Bring confetti to the garden With pitanga** it’s carnival All raw, ooooohhh |
| faz faísca e chavascal faz faísca e chavascal got addicted, não tem mal ooooohhhh | Be flashy and make a scene Be flashy and make a scene Got addicted, don’t take it badly ooooohhh |
*Specifically, an orixá is a representation of a minor divinity in the Yoruba religion
**Pitanga isn’t really a fruit we have in the UK, and the wiki page gives a few names, but since one of them is just “pitanga”, I’ve left this alone.
Luso 