Canoas do Tejo

Boats of the Tejo

Perched on the most Western tip of Europe, and gazing out at the Atlantic, Portugal is a country with a rich seafaring history. In Lisbon in particular, it is difficult to go anywhere without appreciating that the ocean is an ever-present source of sustenance and inspiration to the city, and to Portugal as a whole.

So it is hardly surprising that the sea plays such an important role in national identity and culture, nor that it should be such a recurring theme in fado. Traditionally, the earliest fados in Lisbon were associated with sailors singing of the loneliness of life at sea, or of the seemingly incomprehensible cruelty of the ocean. Just as frequently, the sea is used symbolically, as we have already seen, for instance, in Fado Perdiçao, in which the unfathomable immensity of the ocean is often used metaphorically to depict the mystery and profundity of human emotion.

In this song, we have a more literal appeal to life on the waves, as the fadista addresses the boats which sail down the river Tagus, around the curves of Lisbon and out towards the Atlantic. A declaration of love to the Tejo, the sea, and those who sail on them, this fado is also a celebration of Portugal’s capital, sung by one of the greats of Lisbon fado, Carlos do Carmo. Born in the Mouraria in 1939, the son of fado-house runner, Carlos do Carmo is clearly steeped in the traditions of Lisbon fado, and specialises in songs celebrating his native city. In this fado, he sings directly to a boat gliding on the waters, evoking the wind against the cliffs, the dance of the waves, and the gentle cries of a guitar, which seem to arrive within the ocean breeze…






Canoas do Tejo
Canoa de vela erguida,
Que vens do Cais da Ribeira,
Gaivota, que andas perdida,
Sem encontrar companheira

O vento sopra nas fragas,
O Sol parece um morango,
E o Tejo baila com as vagas
A ensaiar um fandango

Canoa,
Conheces bem
Quando há norte pela proa,
Quantas voltas tem Lisboa,
E as muralhas que ela tem

Canoa,
Por onde vais?
Se algum barco te abalroa,
Nunca mais voltas ao cais,
Nunca, nunca, nunca mais

Canoa de vela panda,
Que vens da boca da barra,
E trazes na aragem branda
Gemidos de uma guitarra

Teu arrais prendeu a vela,
E se adormeceu, deixa-lo
Agora muita cautela,
Não vá o mar acordá-lo

Canoa,
Conheces bem
Quando há norte pela proa,
Quantas voltas tem Lisboa,
E as muralhas que ela tem

Canoa,
Por onde vais?
Se algum barco te abalroa,
Nunca mais voltas ao cais,
Nunca, nunca, nunca mais

Por onde vais?
Se algum barco te abalroa,
Nunca mais voltas ao cais,
Nunca, nunca, nunca mais


Les Voiliers du Tage
Voilier, aux voiles déployées
Tu viens du bord de la rivière
Mouette, qui s’en va, perdue
Sans trouver de la compagnie

Le vent souffle sur les falaises
Le soleil ressemble à une fraise
Et le Tage danse avec les vagues
Répétant un fandango

Voilier,
Tu sais bien
Quand la proue se dirige vers le nord
Combien de virages Lisbonne possède
Et combien de remparts

Voilier,
Où vas-tu ?
Si un autre bateau te heurtait
Tu ne reviendrais plus jamais au bord
Jamais, jamais, jamais plus

Voilier à double voile
Tu viens de la bouche de l’océan
Et tu apportes dans la douce brise
Les plaintes d’une guitare

Ton capitaine a affalé la voile
Et s’est endormi, laisse-le
Maintenant, très prudemment
La mer ne le réveillera pas

Voilier,
Tu sais bien
Quand la proue se dirige vers le nord
Combien de virages Lisbonne possède
Et combien de remparts

Voilier,
Où vas-tu ?
Si un autre bateau te heurtait
Tu ne reviendrais plus jamais au bord
Jamais, jamais, jamais plus



Sailing boats of the Tejo
Sailing boat, with your sails raised
You come from the river bank
Seagull, you fly on, lost
Without finding company

The wind blows on the cliffs
The sun seems like a strawberry
And the river Tejo dances with the waves
Practising a fandango

Sailing boat,
You know well,
When the bow is pointing North
How many turns has Lisbon
And how many ramparts

Sailing boat,
Where are you going?
If some other ship were to collide with you
You would never return to the riverside
Never, never, never again

Sailing boat, with your twin sails
You come from the mouth of the sea,
And you bring, with the gentle breeze,
The moans of a guitar

Your skipper fastened the sail
And went to sleep, leave him there
And now, going carefully,
The sea will not awaken him

Sailing boat,
You know well,
When the bow is pointing North
How many turns has Lisbon
How many walls she has

Sailing boat,
Where are you going?
If some boat were to collide with you
You would never return to the riverside
Never, never, never again