Early November 2008
It was a Saturday afternoon, Flor and Hung Yut, a korean professional tango couple, had just arrived in Buenos Aires earlier that week. We had just finished a rock and roll class with El negro Facundo. I called Javier and asked if we could all go visit him. I think Javier was excited to see Flor and Hung Yut, so we all went to visit him at his home around late evening.
We settled down into a nice comfortable chat. And soon the conversation turned to tango songs. Javier started to play some tangos from his Macbook, and he started to play the orchestra we all liked; Carlos di Sarli.
"Porteno y Bailarin, me hiciste tango, como soy, romantico y dulzon." And so it began. The best part of the night had started, Javier started to do a live translation of the lyrics of his favourite songs. It started with the famous 'Porteno y Bailarin'.
He paused the song midway and began, "The following lyrics is written in some kind of poetic form, to understand it clearly, we need to rearrange the order of the words. 'Tango! You made me a porteno (port people, Buenos Airean) and dancer. Like the person I am, romantic and full of sweetness!'" Javier looked at us, closed his eyes, and let out a sigh.
"Tango, your violin inspires me..." Javier started to stand up, hands pulling out an imaginary thing from inside his heart. "...your rhythm drags my soul, the bandoneon serenades me to sleep."
Pacing around his little living room, he gestured around his home, "The author writes about this particular house, his porteno home, alive and filled with melancholy, breathing with love!" Flor, Hung Yut and I were slowly transported to another realm, by the music, the words and Javier the master painter.
He stopped at his door, lining the door carefully, "I gave all my love to my porteno little house within her doors..."
Then he moved to his balcony window and laid his head beside a nearby table. "And in his native/creole (criolla) house, he had a little window which the sun comes everyday to sit by it."
Javier returned to his seat near the Macbook and paused the music, "Now after describing his little porteno house, he turns his attention to his lover. He sings, 'All my love, all the drama of my life was in my lover's voice; her hands which bid me goodbye; and her bright red carmine lips...
"Look how clever the writer was, here he puts a twist to the lyrics. 'For her and for her love, oh tango! You made me the man I am; a porteno and a dancer.' Ayy no..." Javier half covered his face and looked at us; a look which seems to say, "my heart can't take what the song is singing anymore."
"Listen to this!...the following lyrics is incredible! 'Que importa el sueño que a mis pilas roban, las mentiras horas de bailar sin calma.' This porteno guy, romantic and full of sweetness says, 'What did it matter to me! Even if dancing tango every night robbed me of all my energy and all my youth!' All these hours dancing with his lover in his arms, feeling in the dance the love from the woman, seducing him; captivating him, but alas! It was all a lie, because although he had danced with the woman with all his love and thought the woman in his arms had felt the same; but at the end, it was just a dance to her, not love, even though she had made him felt differently."
At this point, I could not help but started to tear, because deep down in my heart I had felt exactly what the singer was singing.
"Isaakito! Te emocionaste! (You are really touched eh!)" Javier saw the tears. "The following is my favourite part. 'Que importa el miedo de dar la vida si encontrar el beso que me pide alma.'" Hung Yut chirped in, "Yes you even put the phrase on your skype and msn profile!"
"Yes!" Javier replied, "What does fear mean to me??!! Why fear giving all I have to living life? If I find that kiss which takes my soul away from me!" All of us nodded in agreement, especially fiery little Flor, who understood the least spanish but probably understood that phrase with her soul more than any of us.
"Now that I am old, having danced all the tangos that I had within me; I finally understood: this illusion of love that I thought we had, were nothing but tangos of love, glasses of wine; and most importantly, being romantic and full of sweetness, crazy swallows that were flying about in my young heart."
Fresh tears broke out once again from my eyes.
(Hung Yut wrote about this night too, he recorded the translation of Esta Noche de Luna. You can read about it here.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One month later, Javier and Andrea were due to perform in Maipu 444, the milonga called Mano a Mano, as part of a tango festival. Hung Yut, Flor and I were there to watch their performance.
As the two of them stood on the dancefloor ready to perform, the rousing violins of 'Porteno y Bailarin' filled the room.
Javier turned and winked at me.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PORTEÑO Y BAILARIN
Letra de H. Marcó
Musica de Carlos Di Sarli
Versión de Jorge Duran
(PORTENO AND DANCER
Lyrics by Hector Marco
Music by Carlos Di Sarli
Version of Jorge Duran)
Porteño y bailarin,
me hiciste tango
como soy,
romantico y dulzon.
(Porteno [Buenos Airen] and dancer,
you made me tango,
like [the man] I am,
romantic and [too] sweet.)
Me inspira tu violin,
me arrastra el alma tu compas,
me arrulla el bandoneón.
(your violin inspires me,
your rhythm drags my soul,
the bandoneon lulls me)
Melancolica casita suspirando amor,
le di en sus puertas mi querer
y en tu criolla ventanita recostada al sol,
rompio mis cuerdas el ayer.
(Melancholic little house breathing with love,
I gave [the house] my love in her doors
and in your creole little windows lies the sun,
[which] broke my bonds of yesterday.)
Todo mi drama
esta en tu voz,
en tus manos el adios,
labios de carmin.
(All my drama
is in your voice,
in your hands the goodbye,
carmine lips.)
Por ella y por su amor,
me hiciste tango como soy,
porteño y bailarin.
(For her and for her love,
you made me tango like how I am,
porteno and dancer.)
Que importa el sueño
que a mis pilas roban,
las mentiras horas
de bailar sin calma.
(How important is the weariness
that from my life force were draining,
those false hours
of dancing restlessly.)
Que importa el miedo
de dar la vida
si encontrar el beso
que me pide alma.
(How important is the fear
of giving [all] in life
if I find the kiss
that takes my soul away.)
Hoy se que fueron,
tangos de amor y copas,
golondrinas locas,
en mi corazón.
(Today I know that they were,
[nothing but] tangos of love and drinks,
crazy swallows,
in my heart.)
Porteño y bailarin
me hiciste tango
como soy,
romantico y dulzon.
(Porteno and dancer
you made me tango
like [the man] I am,
romantic and [too] sweet.)
