Hortelã Mourisca
Amália Rodrigues Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vem o sol de agosto, vou dormir no prado,
Tudo lá é de gosto, sem ferro de arado.
A cama está feita de hortelã mourica
E a macela espreita com graça e belisca!
Hortelã mourisca por entre a macela,
Hortelã mourisca pela madrugada,
Beijarei teus olhos, rosa perfumada!
Sob um mar de estrelas de flor de macela,
Não tenho fronteiras, não tenho janelas!
Tenho a minha amada, cotovia arisca,
Toda perfumada de hortelã mourisca!
The song Hortelã Mourisca begins by setting the scene of a beautiful summer day, with the singer preparing to sleep in a meadow that they find particularly enjoyable as it lacks any reminder of human labor, such as a plow. They then describe the bed they will sleep in, which is made of hortelã mourisca (a type of mint) and the macela plant. However, the macela is not just an innocent bystander – it playfully “nips” at those who come near it. The chorus calls out to the hortelã mourisca, inviting it to wash one’s face with the dew it collects in the morning. The second verse speaks of kissing the eyes of a loved one, who is compared to a fragrant rose, as the hortelã mourisca scents the air around them. The third and final verse creates an image of freedom and escapism, with the singer lost in a field of macela flowers and stars, free from any constraints of society except for the arisca (wild) cotovia (lark) that represents the singer’s beloved.
Line by Line Meaning
Vem o sol de agosto, vou dormir no prado,
The August sun is setting; I am going to sleep in the meadow.
Tudo lá é de gosto, sem ferro de arado.
Everything there is enjoyable, with no plows or tools bothering me.
A cama está feita de hortelã mourica
My bed is made of sweet-smelling pennyroyal.
E a macela espreita com graça e belisca!
And the chamomile peeks through and playfully grazes me.
Hortelã mourisca por entre a macela,
Pennyroyal grows among the chamomile,
Vem lavar teu rosto no orvalho dela!
Come and wash your face in her dew!
Hortelã mourisca pela madrugada,
Pennyroyal in the early morning light,
Beijarei teus olhos, rosa perfumada!
I will kiss your eyes, oh perfumed rose!
Sob um mar de estrelas de flor de macela,
Under a sea of stars and chamomile flowers,
Não tenho fronteiras, não tenho janelas!
I have no borders, no windows!
Tenho a minha amada, cotovia arisca,
I have my beloved, the shy lark,
Toda perfumada de hortelã mourisca!
All perfumed with pennyroyal!
Contributed by Elliot F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.