Esta noche de luna

One may be forgiven for thinking that love is always tragic in tango. The letras are full of bitter invective, inconsolable loss, heartbreak unto death. But there are conventional love songs too, that woo, celebrate amor, gush over the loved one. Falucho celebrated love, friendship, and a birthday on the day after Valentine’s Day with this distinctly untragic confession of love. John recited, the singer Carlos Habiague (whose birthday it was) performed the original, Jack Hanley dejayeed and co-taught the dance class with Renée.

Esta noche de luna (1943) Letra de Héctor Marcó Música de José Garcia/Graciano Gómez	This Moonlit Night (1943) Lyrics by Héctor Marcó, trans. J. Osburn Music by José Garcia/Graciano Gómez
Acercate a mi Y oirás mi corazón Contento latir Como un brujo reloj. La noche es azul, Convida a sonar, Ya el cielo ha encendido Su faro major. Si un beso te doy, Pecado no ha de ser; Culpable es la noche Que incita a querer. Me tienta el amor, Aćercate ya, Que el credo de un sueño Nos revivirá.	Come closer to me now And listen to my heart beat, Contented to mark Time like an enchanted watch. The night is a deep blue, Inviting us to dream; Now the heavens have struck a match To their brightest orb. If I give you a kiss, It will be no kind of sin; The night will be the guilty one Making us feel this love within. I’m tempted by this love, Come closer to me now, By the creed of an amorous dream We will be reborn.
Corre, corre barcarola, Por mi río de ilusión. Que en el canto de las olas Surgirá mi confesión.	Gondola song, row on, row on, Down my river of hope unreal. And in their song as the waves flow on May I confess the love I feel.
Soy una estrella en el mar Que hoy detiene su andar Para hundirse en tus ojos. Y en el embrujo De tus labios muy rojos, Por llegar a tu alma Mi destino dare.	Above the sea I’ve become a star That stops in its course from afar To submerge itself in your eyes. And in the enchantment Of your scarlet lips I realize, To win you as my soulmate I’ll give over my fate.
Soy una estrella en el mar Que hoy se pierde al azar Sin amor ni fortuna. Y en los abismos De esta noche de luna, Solo quiero vivir, De rodilla a tus pies, Para amarte y morir.	Above the sea I’ve become a star Who’s had no luck today so far, Not at love nor at fortune. And in the abysses Of this night lit by the moon, I want only to lie On my knees before your feet, To love you and to die.
Acércate a mi Y oirás mi corazón Contento latir Como un brujo reloj. Me voz te dirá Palabras de miel Que harán de tu pecho Fuego encender. El canto del mar Repite en su rumor Qué noche de luna, Qué noche de amor. Dichoso de aquel Que pueda decir, Yo tengo un cariño Qué dulce es vivir.	Come closer to me now And listen to my heart beat, Contented to mark time Like an enchanted watch. I’ll whisper to you Some honied words to Light a fire where your heart lies, A flame that burns bright. The song of the sea Repeats in its rumors This moonlit evening, This night of true lovers. How wondrous is the news That I could announce, I have myself a true love It’s sweet to be alive.
Corre, corre barcarola, Que la luna se escondió.	Gondola song, row on, row on, Till the moon is hid and we’ll be alone.

 

Listen to the iconic recording by Osvaldo Pugliese and the singer Jorge Maciel:

 

And the DiSarli-Roberto Rufino version, a favorite of many:

Notes

It made sense to present this on the day between St. Valentine's and the full moon of February. The love tropes are recognizable across cultures: moonlight, a wandering star, sweet nothings in the ear, the song of gondoliers, the sharing of hearts and souls. If the water metaphors are a bit jumbled—the sea, a river, the implied Venetian canal—it is attributable to the lunacy of love. The love madness of the narrator gives the translator certain advantages in finding a rhyme: “to lie (!?)/on my knees….” There are also fortuities between the languages, such as matching the end rhymes mar, andar, and azar with the identical sounds of “star,” “afar,” and “far.”

—John Osburn