
Caetano Veloso
La flor de la canela lyrics with English translation
- Language
- Portuguese
- Level
- Beginner
- Released
- 1975
- Genre
- Bossa Nova
- Length
- 3:13
Déjame que te cuente, limeño
Let me tell you, Limeño
Déjame que te diga la gloria
Let me speak of the glory
Del ensueño que evoca la memoria
Of the dream that memory evokes
Del viejo puente, del río y la alameda
Of the old bridge, the river, and the avenue
Déjate que te cuente, limeño
Let me tell you, Limeño
Ahora que aún perfuma el recuerdo
Now that the memory still has its perfume
Ahora que aún se mece en un sueño
Now that it still sways in a dream
El viejo puente, el río y la alameda
The old bridge, the river, and the avenue
Jazmines en el pelo
Jasmine in her hair
Y rosas en la cara, airosa caminaba
And roses on her face, she walked gracefully
La flor de la canela
The cinnamon flower
Derramaba lisura y a su paso dejaba
It spilled smoothness and left in its wake
Aromas de mistura
Aromas of a blend
Que en el pecho llevaba
That it carried in its heart
Del puente a la alameda menudo pie la lleva
From the bridge to the promenade, it takes light steps
Por la vereda que se estremece
On the path that shudders
Al ritmo de su cadera
To the rhythm of its hips
Recogía la risa de la brisa del río
It gathered the laughter from the river's breeze
Y al viento la lanzaba
And tossed it to the wind
Del puente a la alameda
From the bridge to the promenade
Déjame que te cuente, limeño
Let me tell you, limeño
¡Ay! Deja que te diga, moreno, mi pensamiento
Oh! Let me tell you, dark one, my thoughts
A ver si así despiertas del sueño
Let's see if this wakes you from the dream
El sueño que entretiene, moreno, tu sentimiento
The dream that holds, dark one, your feeling
Aspira de la lisura que da la flor de canela
Breathe in the smoothness that the cinnamon flower gives
Adornada con jazmines, matizando su hermosura
Adorned with jasmines, enhancing her beauty
Alfombra de nuevo el puente y engalana la alameda
Once again the bridge is carpeted, and the promenade is adorned
Que el río acompasará su paso por la vereda
For the river will accompany its flow along the path
Y recuerda que...
And remember that...
Jazmines en el pelo
Jasmines in the hair
Y rosas en la cara, airosa caminaba
And roses on her face, she walked proudly
La flor de la canela
The flower of cinnamon
Derramaba lisura y a su paso dejaba
She spilled grace and left behind
Aromas de mistura
Aromas of mixture
Que en el pecho llevaba
That she carried in her chest
Del puente a la alameda menudo pie la lleva
From the bridge to the promenade, her little foot takes it
Por la vereda que se estremece
Along the path that trembles
Al ritmo de su cadera
To the rhythm of her hips
Recogía la risa de la brisa del río
She gathered the laughter of the breeze from the river
Y al viento la lanzaba
And threw it to the wind
Del puente a la alameda
From the bridge to the promenade
Key vocabulary
- déjame
- leave me
- cuente
- count
- diga
- say
- gloria
- glory
- del
- of the
- ensueño
- dream
- evoca
- evoke
- memoria
- memory
- viejo
- old
- puente
- bridge
Test yourself
How much of La flor de la canela did you catch?
A quick quiz on the key words from this song.
About this song
Caetano Veloso is a Brazilian singer-songwriter associated with Tropicália and Brazilian popular music. Known for his genre-spanning career that has blended bossa nova, folk, and experimental rock, he is also recognized for his role in shaping the Tropicalist movement.