Waldemar Matuška - Slavíci z Madridu (Nightingales from Madrid)

We can say without exaggeration that Waldemar Matuška was one of the most popular Czech singers of all time. With his fiery gaze, impassionate bass-baritone, but also a great sense of humour, he soon became the heart-throb of many a young woman in the 1960's and 1970's. People would often joke that young women could be divided into two groups: Karel Gott's fangirls, and Waldemar Matuška's fangirls (I myself proudly identify as the latter!☺)

An only son of a Vienna operetta singer, Matuška first got training as a glassmith, but his passion for music soon lead him to the theatre Semafor - a powerhouse of new talent in the 1960's - and soon became a huge star. Later, he started acting in films, his songs would be featured as title songs of many TV series. However, after he didn't return from the USA in 1986, all his work got blacklisted. His voice was erased from titular TV show songs, his latest record was destroyed, and his name was deleted from end credits. Films that he'd appeared in were forbidden. The 1990's meant a reneissance of his old songs, but even though he would hold many concerts in his homeland, he never returned from America to live here.

A popular practice in the 1950's, 60's and 70's was translating songs from the West. The originals often could not be played here at all, and people wouldn't understand them anyway. Sometimes, it happened so that the translation was somehow even better than the original - often completely changing the topic of the song. Especially popular were French songs, and that is the case of Slavíci z Madridu. Originally written as Rossignol Anglais by Hugues Auffray, it was used (similarly to Modlitba pro Martu) for the TV musical series Píseň pro Rudolfa III. (A Song for Rudolf III), from which is the video below.

Slavíci z Madridu

(Hugues Auffray / Ivo Fischer)

Nebe sky

je is

modrý blue

a and

zlatý, gold, golden

The sky is blue and gold,

bílá white

sluneční sun (adj), sun's, solar

záře, glare, brightness

White [is] the sun's glare,

horko heat

a and

sváteční festive, Sunday

šaty, dress(es), clothes

Heat and Sunday clothes,

vřava bedlam, razzle-dazzle, turmoil

a and

zpocený sweaty, covered in sweat

tváře. faces

Bedlam and sweaty faces.

Vím, I know

co what

se bude dít, will, is about to happen, unfold

I know what is about to happen,

býk bull

už already

se reflexive pronoun; "vzpínat se"

v ohradě in the enclosure, pen

vzpíná, is rearing

The bull is already rearing in the enclosure,

kdo who

chce, wants

ten he, that

může can

jít, go

Who wants, can go,

já I

si dám will have

sklenici glass (acc.)

vína. [of] wine (gen.)

I'll have a glass of wine.

Žízeň thirst

je is

veliká, big, great

život life

mi [to] me (dat.)

utíká, run, fly [away, past, by]

The thirst is great, my life is flying past,

nechte let (pl.)

mě me

příjemně nicely, pleasantly

snít. dream

Let me dream pleasantly,

Ve in

stínu shadow, shade (loc.)

pod under, below

fíky figs, fig trees

poslouchat listen [to]

slavíky, nightingales (acc. pl.)

In the shade below the fig trees, to listen to the nightingales,

zpívat sing

si reflex. pronoun; "to myself"

s nima with them

a and

pít. drink

To sing with them and drink.

Ženy women

jsou are

krásný beautiful

a and

cudný, chaste

Women are beautiful and chaste,

mnohá many [a]

se ve mně have taken in me

zhlídla. fancy

Many have taken a fancy in me.

Oči eyes

jako like

dvě two

studny, wells

Eyes like two wells,

vlasy hair

jak like

havraní raven (adj.)

křídla. wings

Hair like a raven's wings.

Dobře well

vím, [I] know

co what

znamená means

pád fall, tumble, downfall

I know well what a fall means,

do into, to

nástrah traps, lures, snares (gen. pl.)

dívčího girl's (gen.m.)

klína, lap, (arch.) womb

Into the lures of a girl's lap (womb)

někdo someone, some [people]

má pletky rád, likes [amorous] intrigues, affairs

Some are fond of affairs,

já I

radši rather, like better, prefer

sklenici glass, tumbler, jar (acc.)

vína. [of] wine (gen.)

I prefer a glass of wine.

Žízeň je veliká, život mi utíká,

The thirst is great, my life is flying past,

nechte mě příjemně snít.

Let me dream pleasantly,

Ve stínu pod fíky poslouchat slavíky,

In the shade below the fig trees, to listen to the nightingales,

zpívat si s nima a pít.

To sing with them and drink.

Žízeň je veliká, život mi utíká,

The thirst is great, my life is flying past,

nechte mě příjemně snít.

Let me dream pleasantly,

Ve stínu pod fíky poslouchat slavíky,

In the shade below the fig trees, to listen to the nightingales,

zpívat si s nima a pít.

To sing with them and drink.

Nebe sky

je is

modrý blue

a and

zlatý, gold, golden

The sky is blue and gold,

ženy women

krásný beautiful

a and

cudný, chaste

Women beautiful and chaste,

mantily, mantillas

sváteční festive, Sunday

šaty, dresses

Mantillas, Sunday dresses,

oči eyes

jako like

dvě two

studny... wells

Eyes like two wells...

Zmoudřel* [I've] grown wiser

jsem (aux. verb for past tense 1st person)

stranou od aside, apart from

lidí, people (gen.pl.)

I've grown wise apart from people,

jsem [I] am

jak like

ta the, that (f.)

zahrada garden

stinná. shady, shadowy (pleasantly so)

I'm like the shadowy garden.

Kdo who

chce, wants

ať let [them]

mi [to] me (dat.)

závidí, envies

Who wants, let them envy me,

já I

si dám will have

sklenici glass (acc.)

vína. [of] wine (gen.)

I'll have a glass of wine.

Žízeň je veliká, život mi utíká,

The thirst is great, my life is flying past,

nechte mě příjemně snít.

Let me dream pleasantly,

Ve stínu pod fíky poslouchat slavíky,

In the shade below the fig trees, to listen to the nightingales,

zpívat si s nima a pít.

To sing with them and drink.

Notes:

*) The prefix "z-" often means a change. It typically turns an indefinite verb into a finite one: moudřet (to be getting wiser) - zmoudřet (to grow wise(er)), červenat (to be getting red) - zčervenat (to get red), měnit (to be changing) - změnit (to change).