Song of a Slave (Continued) pg. 69

With the echo of curses and the jangle of chains

My song would only ring

                So set me up here on this rock

                And my lute’s tone

                Will outrun the wind and the ocean waves

                                It will go beyond the ocean

                [And] return again to the land of my fathers

                Where your hand lies heavy

                And awaken the people who until now sleep,

                Awaken the sleeping lion.”

For Grandpa!

If you, grandpa, were with a young lady

                Or even a married woman

I would send[1] you a kiss

                So everything would go smoothly

But of course there isn’t yet

Anyone who advises this

What is allowed with a woman

Is discouraged[2] for a man

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[1] Male verb form

[2] Literally “prevented, obstructed”