Casares’ “Poema de emerxencia para Antonio Machado”, sung by Xerardo Moscoso

Xerardo Moscoso was a Mexican-Galician songwriter, member of the Galician songwriter colective Voces Ceibes. Born in Mexico as a son of Galician emigrants, he came to Lugo to study, and then, joined Voces Ceibes. In 1973 is threatened by a Falangist (Nota Bene: a Falangist -Sp. falangista- is a member of the extreme-right party Falange Española, or of the unique party of the dictatorship Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las JONS); when he went to make a denounce to police, he is intimidated by them, due to his political filiation. So he decided to go out bound to Switzerland. He went back in 1976 to Spain, but is denounced after a concert with Paco Ibáñez in Vigo, and, as he had the Mexican citizenship, and, although he tried, the Francoist authorities denied him the double citizenship, he is forced to leave Spain; so he come back to Mexico. Nowadays, he runs in Mexico –where he lives- the Theater group La Gaviota.

Xerardo’s musical career is not too long (due to all those things and others): just two Eps, circa 1968, and one LP, Acción Galega (Galician Action), recorded in Switzerland and published in 1977. In the second of his EPs, Xerardo sings a poem called “Poema de emerxencia para Antonio Machado”, a thrilling poem dedicated to the great Spanish poet, die in exile at the French village of Collioure, symbol of the defeated Republican democracy and culture, as well as an example for those artists that want to make of their art a cry of justice and freedom. The poem is writen by Casares: I honestly must admit that I don’t know who is this poet yet, not even if he wrote in Galician or in Spanish.

Poema de emerxencia para Antonio Machado

Eiquí silencio,
ó norte Colliure
i unha morte que enxendra
corazóns prá libertade.

O milagre dun pobo
ente de amor,
o calor da tua cinza
que ente que nos ergue
contra perezosos tempos.

Na terra da charanga e dos pandeiros
Hai unha espranza que inda agarda
encher de futuro iste silencio.

Emergency poem for Antonio Machado

Here silence,/ at north Collioure/ and a dead that engenders/ hearts for the freedom.// The miracle of a people/ entity of love,/ the heat of your ash/ that is entity that raises us/ against lazy times.// In the land of charanga and of tambourines*/ there is a hope that still awaits/ fill up with future this silence.

Lyric: Casares

Musci: Xerardo Moscoso

* This verse is a reference to Machado’s poem “El mañana efímero” (The fleeting morning), where he begins saying: “The Spain of charanga and tambourine…” (approximate translation)

Spanish translation: https://albokari2.wordpress.com/2007/02/23/poema-de-emerxencia-para-antonio-machado/