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Cómo quieres que adivine
si estás despierta o dormida,
¡como no baje del cielo un ángel
y me lo diga!
¿Cómo quieres que adivine?
Alegría y más alegría,
hermosa paloma cuando serás mía,
cuando serás mia, ¡cuando vas a ser,
hermosa paloma, remito laurel!
Cuando voy por leña al monte
olé ya mi niña y me meto en la espesura,
y veo la nieve blanca, ole ya mi niña,
me acuerdo de tu hermosura.
Quisiera ser por un rato anillo
de tu pendiente,
para decirte al oído
lo que mi corazón siente.
Las estrellas voy contando, ole ya mi niña,
por ver la que me persigue.
Ne persigue un lucerito, olé ya mi niña,
pequeñito pero firme,
Alegría y más alegria,
hermosa paloma cuando serás mia.
¡Cuando serás mia, cuando vas a ser,
hermosa paloma, ramito laurel!
¡Cómo quieres que adivine!
About the headline (FAQ)
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 Jesús Guridi (1886 - 1961), "Cómo quieres que adivine", from Seis canciones castellanas, no. 5. [ sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "How can you expect me to guess", copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- GER German (Deutsch) (Elaine Marie Ortiz-Arandes) , "Wie soll ich es erraten", copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this text: John Versmoren , Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 26
Word count: 141
How can you expect me to guess
if you’re awake or asleep?
An angel isn’t dropping down from heaven
to tell me!
How can you expect me to guess?
Joy and more joy,
beautiful dove, when you’re mine,
when you’re mine, when you will,
beautiful dove, honor me!
When I go for firewood, up the mountain
oh yes, my girl, and I get tangled in the thicket,
and I see the white snow, oh yes, my girl,
I remember your beauty.
I’d like to be a ring (just for awhile)
in your earring,
to whisper in your ear
what my heart feels.
The stars are counted by me, oh yes, my girl,
to see which one pursues me.
It’s not Venus, oh yes, my girl,
but a tiny one, that shines steadily,
Joy and more joy,
beautiful dove, when you’re mine,
when you’re mine, when you will,
beautiful dove, honor me!
How can you expect me to guess?
Line 1-9: "honor me" - laurel can refer to a wreath of bay leaves, a triumphal garland, or the verb Laurear ( to honor)
Line 3-3: "Venus" - lucerito refers to the brightest “star" in the sky, which could be Venus, a morning star, or an evening star
Authorship
- Translation from Spanish (Español) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (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.
Contact:
- a text in Spanish (Español) from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , "Jota"
This text was added to the website: 2016-02-14
Line count: 26
Word count: 158