l'Estaca

ÀNGEL | Barcelona, 6th December 2024

L’Estaca

The old Siset spoke to me in the doorway at dawn while we waited for the sun and watched the carts pass by.

L'avi Siset em parlava de bon matí al portal

mentre el sol esperàvem i els carros vèiem passar.

Siset, don't you see l’estaca that we are all tied to? If we can’t take it down, we will never be able to walk!

Siset, que no veus l'estaca on estem tots lligats?

Si no podem desfer-nos-en mai no podrem caminar!

If we all pull, it will fall down, and it cannot last long, it will surely fall, fall, fall, it must be worm-eaten by now.

Si estirem tots, ella caurà i molt de temps no pot durar,

segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, ben corcada deu ser ja.

If I pull hard this way and you pull hard that way, it will surely fall, fall, fall, and we will be able to liberate ourselves.

Si jo l'estiro fort per aquí i tu l'estires fort per allà,

segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, i ens podrem alliberar.

But, Siset, it's been a long time, now! My hands are peeling! And when my strength leaves me, it's wider and bigger.

Però, Siset, fa molt temps ja, les mans se'm van escorxant,

i quan la força se me'n va ella és més ampla i més gran.

I know very well that it is rotten, but it is just, Siset, that it weighs so much that sometimes my strength fades.Tell me your song again!

Ben cert sé que està podrida però és que, Siset, pesa tant,

que a cops la força m'oblida.Torna'm a dir el teu cant!

If we all pull, it will fall down, and it cannot last long it will surely fall, fall, fall, it must be worm-eaten by now.

Si estirem tots, ella caurà i molt de temps no pot durar,

segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, ben corcada deu ser ja.

If I pull hard this way and you pull hard that way, it will surely fall, fall, fall, and we will be able to liberate ourselves.

Si jo l'estiro fort per aquí i tu l'estires fort per allà,

segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, i ens podrem alliberar.

The old Siset doesn’t say anything anymore, bad wind took him away, he, who knows towards where, and I under the doorway.

L'avi Siset ja no diu res, mal vent que se l'emportà,

ell qui sap cap a quin indret i jo a sota el portal.

And while the new boys pass by, I stretch my neck to sing the last song of Siset, the last he taught me.

I mentre passen els nous vailets estiro el coll per cantar

el darrer cant d'en Siset, el darrer que em va ensenyar.

If we all pull, it will fall down, and it cannot last long it will surely fall, fall, fall, it must be worm-eaten by now.

Si estirem tots, ella caurà i molt de temps no pot durar,

segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, ben corcada deu ser ja.

If I pull hard this way and you pull hard that way, it will surely fall, fall, fall, and we will be able to liberate ourselves.

Si jo l'estiro fort per aquí i tu l'estires fort per allà,

segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, i ens podrem alliberar.

- Read l’Estaca figuratively otherwise you won’t get the nitty-gritty.

a) Estaca (stake) means, lack of freedom.  b) Avi (grandpa) means, old.  c) Siset, a familiar mame for Narcís.