Homesick

(Planeta Zoo, Lauro de Freitas, BA)

Dost thou know the land where lemons grow, Gold oranges in leafy darkness glow, Dost thou know? — ‘Tis there! ‘Tis there! I wish to go! Goethe

There are palm trees in my homeland,
Where the Sabiá-bird sings;
No songbird’s voice can here compare
With its sweet warbling.

(Red Macaws)

There are more flowers in our meadows,
More stars in the sky above;
In our forests is more life,
And in our lives more love.
Here alone at night I ponder;
What delight these memories bring!
There are palm trees in my homeland
Where the Sabiá does sing.

Absent here are pleasures dear,
Such lush and wondrous things;
Here alone at night I ponder;
What delight these memories bring!
There are palm trees in my homeland
Where the Sabiá does sing.

O God grant I may return
Before my soul takes wings,
That I may there enjoy once more
Those lush and wondrous things,
And see again the palm trees
Where the Sabiá-bird sings.

(Song of Exile, Gonçalves Dias, translated by James H. Kennedy )

Fonte: TEI