“A Canção do Mar” (The Song of the Sea) is a famous Portuguese fado song, deeply embedded in Portuguese culture. The song is renowned for its haunting melody and poignant lyrics, which capture the melancholic and soulful essence of fado, a genre that traditionally expresses themes of longing, nostalgia, and the sea.
Origins and History
The song was originally composed by Frederico de Brito and Ferrer Trindade. It was first performed by Amália Rodrigues, one of the most iconic and influential fado singers in Portuguese history. Her rendition of “A Canção do Mar” helped to popularise the song both in Portugal and internationally.
Practice Your Portuguese
Practice your Portuguese by listening to and translating songs from Portuguese to your native language.
I’ve translated the song into English after the lyrics below. (the music video is not mine nor was it produced by me).
If you’re here from the 30-Day Free Portuguese Challenge for your daily goal, the task for today is to listen to the song a few times and try to follow along with the lyrics in Portuguese. At the end of the task, try to rate yourself and include the date. This is so you can later come back to this exercise and see how you have improved over time. Let’s jump in. (You don’t need to be a part of the challenge to do these suggested exercises )
Useful tools
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Tasks for the 30-Day Portuguese Challenge
- Beginners: Actively listen to how the words are being pronounced. Before looking at the translation, underline the words you know and circle the ones you don’t. Write the words you don’t know into a list on your paper and save them for later. The main goal is to listen to the sounds of the language and be introduced to new vocabulary. If you’d like to take a step further, now look up words in the online dictionary and make notes if they are used in other contexts.
- Intermediates: After listening and looking at the lyrics – BUT NOT the translation yet – analyse the words more closely. Write down a summary of what you think the song is about. Then compare that to the translation. Then separate the words into different categories such as which ones are verbs (actions), which ones are nouns (names of things and people or animals) and which ones are adjectives (descriptions). You can go a step further and indicate what tense the verbs are in. The main goal is to see how your comprehension is progressing and what you need to work more on.
- Advanced: After listening and looking at the Portuguese lyrics, your task is to translate the lyrics without any help. If you come across a word you’ve never seen, try an educated guess before looking it up in the dictionary. It doesn’t always have to make perfect sense. As I’m sure you know, sometimes artists will use a word or pronounce it uncommonly so it fits with the rhyme. Then compare it to the translation and see how you did. If you have the opportunity to go a little further, write a composition stating your opinion on the song. And that can be anything you like: the lyrics, the melody, the voice, the feelings, how you would change it if you didn’t like it, you name it. Try to include compound tenses and the subjunctive mood in your composition.
A Canção do Mar (“The song of the sea”) by Dulce Pontes
Fui bailar no meu batel
Além do mar cruel
E o mar bramindo
Diz que eu fui roubar
A luz sem par
Do teu olhar tão lindo
Vem saber se o mar terá razão
Vem cá ver bailar meu coração
Se eu bailar no meu batel
Não vou ao mar cruel
E nem lhe digo aonde eu fui cantar
Sorrir, bailar, viver, sonhar contigo
Vem saber se o mar terá razão
Vem cá ver bailar meu coração
Se eu bailar no meu batel
Não vou ao mar cruel
E nem lhe digo aonde eu fui cantar
Sorrir, bailar, viver, sonhar contigo
Translation
I went dancing on my barge
Beyond the cruel sea
And the sea roars
Says I went to steal
The matchless light
From your beautiful eyes
Come and see if the sea is right
Come and see my heart dance
If I dance on my barge
I won’t go to the cruel sea
And I won’t even tell you where I went to sing
Smile, dance, live, dream with you
Come and see if the sea is right
Come and see my heart dance
If I dance on my barge
I won’t go to the cruel sea
And I won’t even tell you where I went to sing
Smile, dance, live, dream with you
For more songs in Portuguese click here. To learn more about the 30-Day Portuguese Challenge sign up below.