Lluís Llach: We dream

Lluís Llach is, for very people, the best songwriter between not only Catalan, but between all the Spanish songwriters. Influenced by French songwriters, Lluís Llach came to take part in the collective Setze Jutges (Sixteen Judges) in 1967, being the last of them in come to take part. His songs have words by himself, but also of great Catalan poets, and some from Greek poet Konstantino Kavafis. The words of his songs are always very hopeful and uthopic. About his music, he started playing French and Italian style music for, later, get more complex musical forms. He has been in active since last year, when he decided to get out the stage.

Somniem

SOMNIEU.
És clar que sí, somniem constantment.
ESPEREU MASSA.
És clar que sí, ham après a esperar i ho esperem tot.
VOLEU MASSA.
És clar que sí, volem massa, més, tot, àvidament.
TENIU MASSA PRESSA.
Sí, és clar que sí, caminar, arribar, recomençar, tenim pressa, molta pressa.

SOMNIEU.
Sí inevitablement, el somni d’avui com possibilitat del demà.
ESPEREU MASSA.
És clar que sí, i no ens fa cap vergonya ésser esclaus de l’esperança.
VOLEU MASSA.
És clar que sí, és el nostre dret rabiós, i encara més el nostre deure.
EXIGIU.
És clar que sí, apassionadament o amb tristesa.

I tanmateix,
i tanmateix, millor així,
millor un poble que es mou,
encara que, a vegades, precipitadament
encara que, a vegades, massa prudent,
encara que, a vegades, brut, baix, rastrer,
encara que, a vegades, sublim,
millor així, amb tota la seva condició humana, estranya i senzilla;
millor així, que no un ramat de xais sotmès al càlcul dels ordenadors d’interessos.
Per això, que ningú no s’avergonyeixi de dir, que ningú no s’avergonyeixi de cridar:
somniem, si, constantment, somniem sense límits en els somnis,
somniem fins l’inimaginable.
Somniem sempre,
i ho esperem tot, hem après l’art d’esperar, aquest art d’esperar
en nits interminables d’impotència; sabem esperar i ho esperem tot, tot,
i ho volem tot, volem l’impossible per a arribar al possible,
volem el possible per a arribar a l’impossible;
millor així, amb tota la seva condició humana, estranya i senzilla;
millor així, que no un ramat de xais sotmès al càlcul dels ordenadors d’interessos;
per això, si mai ens diuen, si mai ens gosen dir…

SOMNIEU
És clar que sí! constantment, somniem sempre.
Si ens dieu: ESPEREU MASSA.
És clar que sí, hem après a esperar, i ho esperem tot.
Si ens dieu: VOLEU MASSA.
És clar que sí, volem massa, més i tot, àvidament.
Si ens dieu: TENIU MASSA PRESSA.
És clar que sí, caminar, arribar, recomençar, sí, tenim pressa.

We dream

YOU DREAM/ Surely, we dream constantly./ YOU WAIT TOO MUCH/ Surely, we have learnt to wait and we’re waiting all./ YOU WANT TOO MUCH/ Yes, we want too much, more, everything, eagerly./ YOU ARE IN A HURRY/ Yes, surely, to walk, to arrive, to restart, we’re in a hurry, very hurry.// YOU DREAM/ Yes, inevitably, the dream of today as tomorrow’s possibility./ YOU WAIT TOO MUCH/ Surely, and we don’t get ashamed to be slaves of the hope./ YOU WANT TOO MUCH/ Yes, surely, that’s our furious right, and further our duty./ YOU DEMAND/ Yes, surely, passionately or with sadness.// And even so,/ and even so, that’s better so,/ it’s better a people that is moving/ although, sometimes, hastily,/ although, sometimes, too much prudent,/ although, sometimes, brutish, low, mean,/ although, sometimes, sublime,/ better so, with all his human condition, strange and simple;/ better so, and no a folck of lambs, under the interests computers’ pressure;/ why, may nobody get ashamed of saying,/ may nobody get ashamed of shouting:/ We dream! Yes, constantly, we dream without limits in our dreams,/ we dream until the unimaginable./ We’re always dreaming, and we wait for all, we’ve learnt the art of waiting, that art of waiting/ in endless nights of impotence; we know how to wait and we’re waiting for all, all,/ and we want all, we want possible for arriving to impossible;/ better so, with all his human condition, strange and simple,/

better so, and no a folck of lambs, under the interests computers’ pressure;/ why, if anytime they tell us, if anytime they dare to tell us…/ YOU DREAM/ Yes, surely, we dream constantly, we’re always dreaming./ If they tell us: YOU WAIT TOO MUCH./ Surely, we’ve learnt to wait, and we’re waiting for all./ If they tell us: YOU WANT TOO MUCH/ Surely, too much, all and more, eagerly./ If they tell us YOU ARE VERY IN A HURRY/ Yes, surely, to walk, to arrive, to restart, yes, we’re in a hurry.

Lluís Llach

Read it also in Spanish here
Lluís Llach’s site: http://www.lluisllach.cat/

Els Setze Jutges (Sixteen Judges) was a Catalan songwriters colective, founded by Delfí Abella, Miquel Porter and Josep Mª Espinàs, among others, for vindicate language and poetry of the so called Països Catalans (Catalan Countries): the lands, in Spain and France, where Catalan is talked, with an antifrancoist spirit. They decided to use French songwriters’ music, specially Georges Brassens, and no Catalan folklore, because the regime was using it for demonstrate his power over all the Spanish lands. Between them, were future important artists as Joan Manuel Serrat, María del Mar Bonet and her brother Joan Ramón, Rafael Subirachs, Guillermina Motta, Francesc Pi de la Serra, and the last in come in, Lluís Llach, and others until complet 16. Songwriter Raimon, in despite the generally believing, was not a part of the collective, but he collaborated with them.

La Nova Cançó Catalana (New Catalan Song) was a very important songwriter movement that pretended, making of Catalan their expression way, preserve and vindicate the language of Catalonia. Teresa Rebull, a Civil War exhiled, was the forerunner, but singer Raimon was the real beginner. The movement, principally, had two differents tendences: Els Setze Jutges (Sixteen Judges), inspired by French songwriters, and El Grup de Folk (Folk Group), North-American folk-singers inspiration. Jutges were more worried about Catalan poetry and refused to use Catalonia’s folklore due to the populist use that the dictatorship was making with every Spanish folklore; but Grup de Folk like to combine old Catalans songs with North-American folk-songs. But in the beginnings of 70s, both were disolved, but the movement stood. New Catalan Song was imitated by others regional songwriters movement, borning in this way the New Songs from Basque Country, Castilia, Galicia, Andalucia… Some of the names of this movements are songwriters as Raimon, Lluís Llach, María del Mar Bonet, Pau Riba, Marina Rossell, Joan Manuel Serrat, Albert Batiste, Pi de la Serra, Ovidi Montllor; folk-groups as Al Tall and UC; folk-rock groups as Falsterbo 3 and Esquirols; and progresive and psychedelic rock bands as Companya Elèctrica Dharma or Maquina!… among others.