“The Alms”
Songwriter: Horacio Sanguinetti (pen name of Horacio Basterra)
Style: Tango ballad about charity and poverty. An orphan on the streets tries unsuccessfully to beg outside of a rich party. Help fight hunger by donating to Feeding America or your local food bank.
Country: Uruguay (Horatio Sanguinetti); Ecuador (Julio Jaramillo)
Listen: This is an old song that has many renditions, including one from the prolific early-mid 20th century singer Julio Jaramillo (YouTube). Also sung by Jose Manuel Calderon, Juan Bautista, Juan José Guichandut (music composer), and others.
[Alternative lyrics are shown for the underlined text. The alternative shown is for Julio Jaramillo’s version.]
Translation:
En la puerta de un palacio, un pobre niño mendigaba:
“¡Tengo hambre, tengo frío, tenga usted de mí, piedad!*” [*underlined alt. piedad de mi!]
Era agosto, pleno invierno y la lluvia taladraba
A su débil cuerpecito que era carne de orfandad.
At the door of a palace, a poor boy begged:
“I am hungry, I am cold, have you for me, pity!*” [*underlined alt. pity for me!]
It was August, in the middle of winter and (with) the rain striking down
On his weak little body which was the flesh of orphanhood.
Esa noche había baile* y llegaban hombres ricos [*alt. fiesta]
Con mujeres muy hermosas al espléndido festín,
Y pasaban, egoístas, sin mirar al pobre niño* [*alt. chico]
Que era un ángel con andrajos, que era un rubio querubín.
That night there was a dance* and there arrived rich men [*alt. a party]
With very beautiful women for the splendid feast,
And they passed, selfishly, without looking at the poor boy* [*alt. kid]
Who was an angel in rags, who was a blond cherub.
Un pedazo de pan duro, mordisqueaba amargamente,
Repitiendo con tristeza: “¡Déme un níquel, por favor!”
Y la música llegaba con sus notas* estridentes [*alt. sonaba con acordes]
Como un látigo llegaba hasta el alma del menor.
A piece of hard bread, he nibbled bitterly,
Repeating sadly: “Give me a nickel, please!”
And the music arrived with its notes* grating [*alt. sounded out with chords]
Like a whip, it reached even the soul of the minor.
Pasó en esto otro mendigo, un mendigo de experiencia,
Un anciano que sabía la manera de pedir,
Y al mirar al muchachito, conmovióse su conciencia,
Y con voz aguardentosa se le oyó decir así:
There passed at this moment another beggar, an experienced beggar,
An old man who knew the way to ask,
And on seeing the young boy, his conscience was moved,
And with a gravelly voice he was heard to say thus:
[Old Man Advices:]
Nunca pidas tu limosna donde hay fiesta y hay riqueza* [*alt. de alegria]
Que la gente que es alegre, nada sabe del dolor.
En los tristes cementerios y también en las iglesias
Siempre se halla un alma buena y un piadoso corazón.
Never ask for your alms where there is a feast and there are riches* [*alt. of joy]
For the people who are cheerful know nothing of pain.
In the sad cemeteries and also in the churches
There can always be found a good soul and a kind, merciful heart.
Esta noche es para hombres y por eso te aconsejo
Que abandones esta puerta donde nada te darán.
Toma hijo, esta limosna que te niegan hoy los ricos.
Toma hijo, estas monedas que te alcanzan para pan.
This night is for men and for this reason I advise you
To abandon this door where they will give you nothing.
Take, son, this alm that the rich deny you today.
Take, son, these coins that will be enough to buy bread.
Translation Notes:
This song was written by Horacio Sanguinetti (real name Horacio Basterra), a poet who lived 1914-1957. TodoTango.com considers him “one of the pens that helped to lend prestige to tango literature, especially during the period, deservedly famous, which has remained known in the history of the genre as The Forties.”
Era agosto, pleno invierno y la lluvia taladraba
A su débil cuerpecito que era carne de orfandad.
It was August, in the middle of winter and (with) the rain striking down
On his weak little body which was the flesh of orphanhood.
pleno, adjective = at full, at maximum. Example phrases: en pleno día (in broad daylight), en plena vista (in full view), nuestro pleno apoyo (our full support).
taladrar, verb = to drill a hole/holes; to punch a hole (e.g. in a ticket); to pierce
Un pedazo de pan duro, mordisqueaba amargamente.
A piece of hard bread, he nibbled bitterly.
morder, verb = to bite
mordisquear, verb = to take little bites (of); to nibble (at)
The verb mordisquear is used to emphasize that the boy is young. His mouth is small, smaller than the bread he managed to get. He can only nibble at the bread, not take large bites. This verb also emphasizes that the bread is difficult to eat and that he is rationing his food.
Y la música llegaba con sus notas estridentes
Como un látigo llegaba hasta el alma del menor.
And the music arrived with its notes grating
Like a whip, it reached even the soul of the minor. [*lit., better translation]
Like a whip, it reached as far as the soul of the minor. [*alt. lit., nuanced meaning of “hasta”]
The music grated on the child’s nerves, emphasizing the difference between the rich party and his poor condition, and causing him emotional pain. Each note feels like the slash of a whip.
Pasó en esto otro mendigo…
Y al mirar al muchachito conmovióse su conciencia.
There passed at this moment another beggar…
And on seeing the young boy, his conscience was moved.
“En esto” (at this moment; at this point) — this is a phrase used to move the story along in Spanish literature and oral storytelling.
“Conmovióse su conciencia” uses an old and uncommon conjugation of conmoverse (to be moved). It sounds very literary to me. A more modern way of saying this line in Spanish would be:
Y al mirar al muchachito se le conmovió la conciencia. [*note that I switched “su” to “la”]
Toma hijo, estas monedas que te alcanzan para pan.
Take, son, these coins that will be enough to buy bread.
Here, pan (bread) is meant in the Christian sense of “food,” and not necessarily specifically bread.
To my American visitors: consider donating time or money to the charity Feeding America (rated highly on Charity Navigator). They help collect and distribute food to those in need. They coordinate grocery store donations, backyard fruit tree harvesting, and food banks all across the country. Summertime is difficult for poor kids who rely on free school lunches and it is often a low donation period because it’s far away from Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Non-Americans, if there is a similar charity you trust for your country, put it in the comments along with the country.
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