Policena Lyrics Translation in English

Na cidade de Bofete

In the city of Bofete

Conheci a Policena

I met Policena

Tinha uns quarenta cachorro

She had about forty dogs

E pobre que dava pena

And was a poor soul, pitiful

Vivia pedindo esmola

She lived begging for alms

De porta em porta pedia

From door to door she asked

Com dó alguém lhe perguntava

With pity, someone asked her

Como assim ela vivia

How she managed to live like that

Ela desde modo respondia

She replied in this way

Meu filho, meu pai era caçado

My son, my father used to hunt

Tinha oito cachorro de caça

He had eight hunting dogs

Num dia bati tanto, tanto num deles

One day, I beat one of them so much

Que quebrei sua perna

That I broke its leg

Meu pai então me disse

My father then told me

Eu sei que você odeia meus animais

I know you hate my animals

Mas no fim de sua vida sua coberta há de ser cachorro

But at the end of your life, your blanket will be a dog

E assim, meus filhos

And so, my children

Hoje os cachorros são minhas cobertas

Today, dogs are my blankets

Quando ela pedia esmola

When she asked for alms

Toda a pessoa lhe dava

Everyone gave her

Somente um fazendeiro

Except for a farmer

Quando dava reclamava

Who complained when giving

Em dois pães envenenado

With two poisoned breads

Friamente foi agindo

He acted coldly

Deu de esmola à pobre véia

He gave the old woman alms

E por trás ficou sorrindo

And behind her, he smiled

Essa nunca mais passa pedindo

She never came asking again

Tinha dois filho estudante

She had two sons, students

Este cujo fazendeiro

This one, the farmer's son

Foram caçar no domingo

They went hunting on Sunday

E na mata se perderam

And got lost in the woods

Três dias de fome e sede

Three days of hunger and thirst

Perdidos praqueles morros

Lost in those hills

Quando avistaram o ranchinho

When they saw the little ranch

Da velhinha dos cachorros

Of the old lady with the dogs

Ali foram pra pedir socorro

There they went to ask for help

A velha tinha no rancho

The old woman had in the ranch

Dois pãezinhos e nada mais

Two little breads and nothing more

Com muito gosto ela deu

With great pleasure, she gave

Para aqueles dois rapaz

To those two young men

Mal acabaram de comerem

They had barely finished eating

À velhinha agradeceram

They thanked the old lady

Começaram sentir mal

They began to feel unwell

E ali mesmo eles morreram

And right there, they died

O feitiço virou contra o feiticeiro

The spell turned against the sorcerer

Fazendeiro quando soube

When the farmer found out

Ele quase enlouqueceu

He almost went mad

Quis dar o fim na pobre velha

He wanted to end the poor old woman

Deu o fim em dois filhos seu

He ended up losing two of his sons

O mundo é misterioso

The world is mysterious

Tem seus castigos fatais

It has its fatal punishments

Quase sempre os filhos pagam

Most of the time, children pay

Pelo erro dos seus pais

For the mistakes of their parents

Enfim é que Deus sabe o que faz

Ultimately, God knows what He does