Source: Arandela Asociación Cultural. Sanxenxo

10.   Where Many Spit, Loam Turns To Muck     (Vinte unha crara noite)

(Cantares Gallegos, 1863)

Background

"Vinte unha crara noite" twice mentions a Galician tradition associated with the night of St. John's Eve (1.1.1-4, 2.2.1-4). This custom was the soaking of a bundle of medicinal and aromatic herbs in a bowl or in large tin basin under the moonlight of the summer solstice. Next morning everybody washed their face, hands or body with the fragrant, greenish water, and the bundle was put out to dry in the summer sun during several days. Once dry the bundle was hung from the back of the front door of the house and the herbs were used as the need arose. According to tradition this ritual exorcized evil spirits, warded off witches and protected against envy.

Translator's Notes

"Vinte unha crara noite" makes frequent use of the affectionate diminutive form (feminine termination iña, masculine iño). This form complicates the job of translating because an affectionate diminutive does not usually have a unique English equivalent and sometimes not even a single interpretation. Nevertheless to yield to the temptation of treating the affectionate diminutive as a nuisance and ignoring it altogether deprives the poem of its full expressiveness. On the plus side the affectionate diminutive offers the translator an opportunity to add alliteration, internal rhyme and lyrical sharpness to the text. The objective is to find the best adjective, adverb or noun which conveys smallness, frailty, concern or affection depending on the context.

All the words in "Vinte unha crara noite" that end in iña or iño are listed below together with a short explanation of the translation made.

• amoriño. Dim. of "amor" (love) translated "gentle love." Other options: sweet love, tender love.
• estrelliñas. Dim. and pl. of "estrella" (star) translated "twinkling stars" to project affection surreptitiously through a subliminal recall of the much-loved nursery rhyme "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Other options: little stars, pretty stars.
• Farruquiño. Dim. of "Farruco," a colloquial variant of "Francisco" (Francis) translated "Frankie."
• fresquiña. Dim. of "fresca" (cool, fresh) translated "sparkling fresh" to match the description of the girl given on 1.5-8.
• honriña. Dim. of "honra" (honour) translated "good name" (3.2) and "reputation" (3.3). The diminutive here reflects the lower social status of the girl: her honour matters little to society.
• meiguiña. Dim. of "meiga" (enchantress, witch, wizard) reluctantly translated "charming enchantress" because English dictionaries do not accept the entry "wizardess" though the term "wizard" is male-biased.
• meniña (girl, lass). Not an affectionate diminutive.
• miña (my). Not a diminutive.
• muchadiña. Dim. of "muchada" (listless, pale, withered) translated "sadly withered." Other options: piteously pale, wretchedly listless.
• noitiña (evening twilight, nightfall). Strictly speaking not a diminutive.
• orballiño. Dim. of "orballo" (drizzle) translated "dew" because drizzle is rare inland during the summer (Note: St. John's Eve falls on June 23). Other options: fine spray, refreshing drizzle.

Explanation of some words, terms or expressions

na fonte a serenar (1.1.4, 2.2.4). "Fonte" means "fountain" but can also mean "table bowl."

Pombal (2.4.6). De Castro probably had Pombal de Abaixo in mind, 3.5 kilometers northeast of Padrón.¹