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I. Procesión Por la calleja vienen extraños unicornios. ¿De qué campo, de qué bosque mitológico? Más cerca, ya parecen astrónomos. Fantásticos Merlines y el Ecce Homo, Durandarte encantado. Orlando furioso. II. Paso Virgen con miriñaque, virgen de la Soledad, abierta como un inmenso tulipán. En tu barco de luces vas por la alta marea de la ciudad, entre saetas turbias y estrellas de cristal. Virgen con miriñaque tú vas por el río de la calle, ¡hasta el mar! III. Saeta Cristo moreno pasa de lirio de Judea a clavel de España. ¡Miradlo, por dónde viene! De España. Cielo limpio y oscuro, tierra tostada, y cauces donde corre muy lenta el agua. Cristo moreno, con las guedejas quemadas, los pómulos salientes y las pupilas blancas. ¡Miradlo, por dónde va!
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895 - 1968), "Procesión", from Romancero Gitano, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Richard Gard) , "Holy Week procession", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "Procession", copyright © 2020, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Procession", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ivo Zandhuis
This text was added to the website: 2005-01-11
Line count: 42
Word count: 128
I. Procession Along the alleyway come strange unicorns. From what field, From what mythical forest? Closer now, they appear to be astronomers. Fantastical Merlins and the Ecce Homo, enchanted Durendal, Orlando Furioso. II. Passage Virgin in crinoline, virgin of Solitude, open like an immense tulip. In your ship of lights you travel on the high tide of the city, among turbulent saetas and crystalline stars. Virgin in crinoline you travel on the river of the street, down to the sea! III. Saeta Swarthy Christ passes from the lily of Judea to the carnation of Spain. Look where he comes from! From Spain. Clear and dark sky, seared earth, and channels where the water runs very slowly. Swarthy Christ, With burnt locks, prominent cheekbones and white pupils. Look where he is going!
Note for stanza 1, line 10: Durendal was the name of the sword wielded by the medieval epic hero Roland.
Note for stanza 1, line 11: Orlando Furioso is a 16th-century epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto on the subject of Roland.
Note for stanza 2, line 10, and the title of stanza 3: A saeta is a sacred song in flamenco style.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Spanish (Español) to English copyright © 2020 by Grant Hicks, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:
- a text in Spanish (Español) by Federico García Lorca (1898 - 1936)
This text was added to the website: 2025-07-13
Line count: 42
Word count: 133