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Verde que te quiero verde. Verde viento. Verdes ramas. El barco sobre la mar y el caballo en la montaña. Con la sombra en la cintura ella sueña en su baranda, verde carne, pelo verde, con ojos de fría plata. Verde que te quiero verde. Bajo la luna gitana, las cosas le están mirando y ella no puede mirarlas. Verde que te quiero verde. Grandes estrellas de escarcha, vienen con el pez de sombra que abre el camino del alba. La higuera frota su viento con la lija de sus ramas, y el monte, gato garduño, eriza sus pitas agrias. ¿Pero quién vendrá? ¿Y por dónde...? Ella sigue en su baranda, verde carne, pelo verde, soñando en la mar amarga. Compadre, quiero cambiar mi caballo por su casa, mi montura por su espejo, mi cuchillo por su manta. Compadre, vengo sangrando, desde los montes de Cabra. Si yo pudiera, mocito, ese trato se cerraba. Pero yo ya no soy yo, ni mi casa es ya mi casa. Compadre, quiero morir decentemente en mi cama. De acero, si puede ser, con las sábanas de holanda. ¿No ves la herida que tengo desde el pecho a la garganta? Trescientas rosas morenas lleva tu pechera blanca. Tu sangre rezuma y huele alrededor de tu faja. Pero yo ya no soy yo, ni mi casa es ya mi casa. Dejadme subir al menos hasta las altas barandas, dejadme subir, dejadme, hasta las verdes barandas. Barandales de la luna por donde retumba el agua. Ya suben los dos compadres hacia las altas barandas. Dejando un rastro de sangre. Dejando un rastro de lágrimas. Temblaban en los tejados farolillos de hojalata. Mil panderos de cristal, herían la madrugada. Verde que te quiero verde, verde viento, verdes ramas. Los dos compadres subieron. El largo viento, dejaba en la boca un raro gusto de hiel, de menta y de albahaca. ¡Compadre! ¿Dónde está, dime? ¿Dónde está mi niña amarga? ¡Cuántas veces te esperó! ¡Cuántas veces te esperara, cara fresca, negro pelo, en esta verde baranda! Sobre el rostro del aljibe se mecía la gitana. Verde carne, pelo verde, con ojos de fría plata. Un carámbano de luna la sostiene sobre el agua. La noche su puso íntima como una pequeña plaza. Guardias civiles borrachos, en la puerta golpeaban. Verde que te quiero verde. Verde viento. Verdes ramas. El barco sobre la mar. Y el caballo en la montaña.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Federico García Lorca (1898 - 1936), "Romance sonámbulo", appears in Romancero gitano, no. 4 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Juan José Castro (1895 - 1968), "Verde que te quiero verde", 1938 [ voice and piano ], from Seis canciones de García Lorca, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Plant , "Romance sonámbulo", first performed 1999 [ voice and chamber orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Enrique Beck (1904 - 1974) , copyright © ; composed by Hermann Reutter.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (John Plant) , "Sleepwalking Ballad", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2010-05-08
Line count: 86
Word count: 400
Green, how I want you green. Green wind. Green branches. The boat on the sea and the horse on the mountain. With a shadow round her waist she dreams on her roof-terrace, green flesh, green hair, with eyes of cold silver. Green, how I want you green. Under the gypsy moon things are looking at her, and she cannot look at them. Green, how I want you green. Large stars of frost arrive with the fish of shadow which opens the path of dawn. The fig-tree chafes its wind with the sandpaper of its branches, and the mountain, like a wildcat, bristles its bitter cactus. But who will come? And from where? She continues on her terrace, green flesh, green hair, dreaming of the bitter sea. “Friend, I want to trade my horse for your house, my saddle for your mirror, my knife for your blanket. Friend, I come bleeding from the Cabra pass.” “If I could do it, lad, this deal would be done. But I am no longer I, and my house is no more my house.” “Friend, I wish to die decently in my bed. Of metal, if it is possible, with sheets of fine linen. Do you not see this wound I have from my chest to my throat?” “Your white shirtfront bears three hundred brown roses. Your blood is oozing and reeking around your sash. But I am no longer I, and my house is no more my house.” “Let me climb, at least, up to the high terraces. Let me go up there! Let me go to those green terraces! Terraces of moon where the water echoes.” Now the two friends are climbing to the high terraces. Leaving a trail of blood. Leaving a trail of tears. Little tin-plated lanterns trembled on the rooftops. A thousand crystal tambourines wounded the dawn. Green, how I want you green, green wind, green branches. The two friends climbed. The long wind left a rare taste in the mouth of gall, mint, and basil. “Friend! Where, tell me, where is your bitter girl?” “How often she waited for you! How often she would wait, bright face, dark hair, on this green terrace! On the surface of the cistern the gypsy girl swayed. Green flesh, green hair, eyes of cold silver. An icicle of moon suspends her over the water. The night shrank to intimacy like a little plaza. Drunken civil guards were pounding on the door. Green, how I want you green. Green wind, green branches. The boat on the sea, and the horse on the mountain.
Authorship:
- by John Plant , "Sleepwalking Ballad", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Spanish (Español) by Federico García Lorca (1898 - 1936), "Romance sonámbulo", appears in Romancero gitano, no. 4
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2023-02-28
Line count: 86
Word count: 429