O Poeta Aprendiz Lyrics Translation in English
Vinicius de Moraes
Portuguese Lyrics
English Translation
Ele era um menino
He was a boy
Valente e caprino
Brave and mischievous
Um pequeno infante
A little child
Sadio e grimpante
Healthy and lively
Anos tinha dez
He was ten years old
E asas nos pés
With wings on his feet
Com chumbo e bodoque
With lead and slingshot
Era plic e ploc
It was snap and plop
O olhar verde gaio
His cheerful green gaze
Parecia um raio
Seemed like lightning
Para tangerina
For tangerine
Pião ou menina
Spinning top or girl
Seu corpo moreno
His dark body
Vivia correndo
Lived running
Pulava no escuro
Jumped in the dark
Não importa que muro
No matter the wall
Saltava de anjo
Jumped like an angel
Melhor que marmanjo
Better than a grown man
E dava o mergulho
And took the plunge
Sem fazer barulho
Without making noise
Em bola de meia
In a sock ball
Jogando de meia-direita ou de ponta
Playing as a right-half or forward
Passava da conta
He went too far
De tanto driblar
From so much dribbling
Amava era amar
What he loved was to love
Amava Leonor
He loved Leonor
Menina de cor
A girl of color
Amava as criadas
He loved the maids
Varrendo as escadas
Sweeping the stairs
Amava as gurias
He loved the girls
Da rua, vadias
From the street, the vagabonds
Amava suas primas
He loved his cousins
Com beijos e rimas
With kisses and rhymes
Amava suas tias
He loved his aunts
De peles macias
With soft skins
Amava as artistas
He loved the artists
Das cine-revistas
From the movie magazines
Amava a mulher
He loved the woman
A mais não poder
As much as he could
Por isso fazia
That's why he made
Seu grão de poesia
His grain of poetry
E achava bonita
And found beautiful
A palavra escrita
The written word
Por isso sofria
That's why he suffered
De melancolia
From melancholy
Sonhando o poeta
Dreaming the poet
Que quem sabe um dia
That maybe one day
Poderia ser
He could be