SILENCIO 

1932 


"Dear Tangoman,
My favorite song by Carlos Gardel is Silencio. Could I persuade you
to translate it into English or route me to a translation on the web? Thank you for your wonderful website, 
Mark Sanders"

Lyrics by Carlos Gardel, Alfredo Le Pera and Horacio Pettorossi
Music by Carlos Gardel, Alfredo Le Pera and Horacio Pettorossi
English translation by TangoMan
Updated English translation on 7/3/103 by Mike Strand
Last Update on 6/3/05

Silencio en la noche, ya todo esta en calma,
el musculo duerme, la ambición descansa.
Meciendo una cuna, una madre canta,
un canto querido que llega hasta el alma
porque en esa cuna esta su esperanza

Eran cinco hermanos, ella era una santa,
eran cinco besos que cada mañana,
rozaban muy tiernos las sedas de plata
de esa viejecita de canas muy blancas.
Eran cinco hijos que al taller marchaban.

Silencio en la noche, ya todo esta en calma,
el musculo duerme, la ambición trabaja. 
Un clarin se oye...peligra la patria
y al grito de: Guerra! los hombres se matan... 
cubriendo de sangre los campos de Francia.

Hoy todo ha pasado, florecen las plantas,
un himno a la vida los arados cantan.
Y la viejecita de canas muy blancas,
se quedo muy sola... con cinco medallas
que por cinco heroes, la premio la patria.

Silencio en la noche, ya todo esta en calma,
el musculo duerme, la ambición descansa.
Un coro lejano de madres que cantan 
mecen en sus cunas nuevas esperanzas... 
Silencio en la noche... silencio en las almas.

Silence in the night, all is calm,
bodies are asleep, ambitions at rest.
Rocking a cradle, a mother sings
a beloved song that touches the soul,
because in that cradle lies her hope.

There were five brothers, a saint for a mother.
Each morning five kisses
would tenderly graze the silver strands
of  this little old mother’s white hair.
Five sons who went to work in the factory.

Silence in the night, for now all is calm,
bodies are asleep, but ambitions are at work.
A bugle sounds … the country is in danger.
To the shout of “War!”, men slaughter each other,
covering the fields of France with blood.

Now all that is past.  Plants bloom,
plowed fields sing a hymn to life.
And the little old mother, with very white hair,
remains all alone … with five medals
for five heroes, awarded to her by the country.

Silence in the night, all is calm,
bodies are asleep, ambitions at rest.
A distant choir of mothers, singing as
they rock in their cradles new hopes.
Silence in the night … silence in souls


[ Planet Tango ] [ El Firulete ] [ North America contacts ] [ Other tango sites ] [ Table of contents ]
Website designed by Planet Tango Visual Consultants
Copyright (c) Planet Tango 1998-2005 All Rights Reserved
1000 Bourbon St., #202 - New Orleans, LA 70116 - (504) 894.1718
webmaster@planet-tango.com