Poetry
Galician Songs
Cantares gallegos
Rosalía de Castro · 1863
Opening lines
«As de cantar,
Meniña gaiteira,
As de cantar,
que me morro de pena.
“You must sing,
Little piper girl,
You must sing,
For I am dying of sorrow.
Translation by Erostrate
Text quoted from gutenberg.org
Synopsis
The book opens and closes on the voice of a young girl of the people who is invited to sing, and then gives the floor to other characters from the villages. Written in Galician, the poems describe the life of peasants and sailors, the mountains, fields and sea of Galicia; some are love poems, others speak of the grief of those whom emigration separates or of homesickness for the homeland, saudade. In her prologue, the author sets herself the task of defending Galicia against the contempt in which it is held.
Context
The collection was published on 17 May 1863. In the nineteenth century, Galician was little more than a spoken language: after the prestige of Galician-Portuguese lyric poetry in the Middle Ages, Castilian had driven it out of literature. By using it for a whole book, and by borrowing its forms from popular songs, the author opens the renaissance of literature in Galician, and the book is regarded as the first great work of contemporary Galician literature. Erín Moure translated it into English in 2013.
Who it is for
Poems in Galician, in forms close to the popular song, often spoken by the voices of women of the people.
Prizes and reception
The day of its publication, 17 May, has been, since 1963, the Día das Letras Galegas, the feast of Galician letters and a public holiday in Galicia.