Yupanqui was born Héctor Roberto Chavero Haram in Pergamino (Buenos Aires Province), in the Argentine pampas, about 200 kilometers away from Buenos Aires. His family moved to Tucumán when he was ten. In a bow to two legendary Incan kings, he adopted the stage name Atahualpa Yupanqui, which became famous the world over.
In his early years, Yupanqui travelled extensively through the northwest of Argentina and the Altiplano studying the indigenous culture. He also became radicalized and joined the Communist Party of Argentina. In 1931, he took part in the failed uprising of the Kennedy brothers and was forced to seek refuge in Uruguay. He returned to Argentina in 1934.
In 1935, Yupanqui paid his first visit to Buenos Aires; his compositions were growing in popularity, and he was invited to perform on the radio. Shortly thereafter, he made the acquaintance of pianist Antonieta Paula Pepin Fitzpatrick, nicknamed "Nenette", who became his lifelong companion and musical collaborator under the pseudonym "Pablo Del Cerro".
Because of his Communist Party affiliation (which lasted until 1952), his work suffered from censorship during Juan Perón's presidency; he was detained and incarcerated several times. He left for Europe in 1949. Édith Piaf invited him to perform in Paris in June of that year. He subsequently toured extensively throughout Europe.
In 1952, Yupanqui returned to Buenos Aires. He broke with the Communist Party, which made it easier for him to book radio performances.
Recognition of Yupanqui's ethnographic work became widespread during the 1960s, and nueva canción artists such as Mercedes Sosa recorded his compositions and made him popular among the younger musicians, who referred to him as Don Ata.
Yupanqui alternated between houses in Buenos Aires and Cerro Colorado, Córdoba province. During 1963-1964, he toured Colombia, Japan, Morocco, Egypt, Israel, and Italy. In 1967, he toured Spain, and settled in Paris. He returned regularly to Argentina, but these visits became less frequent when the military dictatorship of Jorge Videla came to power in 1976.
Yupanqui died in Nimes, France in 1992 at the age of 84; he was buried in the Cerro Colorado Cementery.
El Niño Duerme Sonriendo
Atahualpa Yupanqui Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
te está tejiendo un encaje, mi Niño.
Quiero la estrella del ciclo mas bella,
para hacerte un sonajero, mi Niño.
El niño duerme sonriendo, mi Niño.
¡Ah, mi Niño ¡
Qué bello mundo es tu mundo, mi Niño.
Recitado
El niño quiso ser pez
y fue a la orilla del mar.
Puso los pies en el agua
pero, no pudo ser pez.
El niño quiso ser nube
y fijo al cielo miro.
Volaba el aire en el aire
pero, el niño no voló.
El niño quiso ser hombre,
fuerte, compuso su voz.
Mas el mundo era tan suyo
que el niño, niño quedo
.
Fueron pasando los años
y el hombre alcanzó su voz,
y anduvo par esos mundos
mezclando dicha y dolor.
Y el hombre quiso ser niño,
quiso ser nube y ser pez,
mas la playa era de angustia
y las nubes el ayer.
Y el hombre va par el mundo
Con razón o sin razón,
y lleva un niño frustrado
gimiendo en su corazón.
Qué. bello mundo es tu mundo, mi Niño.
¡Ah, mi Niño! ...
The first two lines of Atahualpa Yupanqui’s song, “El Niño Duerme Sonriendo,” illustrate a peaceful and tranquil image of the night weaving a lacework along the river, where the child is sleeping. The following lines express a mother’s desire to have the most beautiful star of the cycle to make a rattle for her child. The chorus of the song goes on to repeat the phrase, “mi Niño,” as a way to emphasize the mother’s endearment towards her child. The recitation rhythm of the song reads like a story where a child tries to become different things, including a fish, a cloud, and a man, but ultimately stays a child. The song finishes with the idea that as an adult, the person still carries the essence of the child, with the child’s dreams and frustrations embedded in the adult's heart. Therefore the song juxtaposes childhood innocence with adult reality to reflect on the human experience and the preciousness of a child's world.
The lyrics of Atahualpa Yupanqui’s, “El Niño Duerme Sonriendo,” connect to the heritage of the indigenous Andean culture of Argentina. The song underscores the values, traditions, and beliefs of Andean people for whom children hold an essential place in the community. A child, as Guerrero Armas (2012) notes, epitomizes hope, renewal, innocence, and a connection to their ancestors. The lyrics of this song acknowledge this phenomenon by using powerful metaphorical language to depict the child's world and their place in it. Additionally, the song reflects the Andean philosophy of the interconnection of human beings with nature. The lulling image of the river and the stars created through the lyrics captures the importance of nature and its peacefulness for nurturing the child.
Line by Line Meaning
La noche, con la espumita del río, te está tejiendo un encaje, mi Niño.
The night, with the foam of the river, is weaving a lace for you, my child.
Quiero la estrella del ciclo mas bella, para hacerte un sonajero, mi Niño.
I want the most beautiful star of the cycle to make you a rattle, my child.
El niño duerme sonriendo, mi Niño. ¡Ah, mi Niño! Qué bello mundo es tu mundo, mi Niño. ¡Ah, mi Niño!
The child sleeps smiling, my child. Oh, my child! What a beautiful world is your world, my child. Oh, my child!
El niño quiso ser pez y fue a la orilla del mar. Puso los pies en el agua pero, no pudo ser pez.
The child wanted to be a fish and went to the seashore. He put his feet in the water, but he couldn't be a fish.
El niño quiso ser nube y fijo al cielo miro. Volaba el aire en el aire pero, el niño no voló.
The child wanted to be a cloud and looked up at the sky. The air was flying in the air, but the child didn't fly.
El niño quiso ser hombre, fuerte, compuso su voz. Mas el mundo era tan suyo que el niño, niño quedo.
The child wanted to be a strong man and composed his voice. But the world was so his own that the child remained a child.
Fueron pasando los años y el hombre alcanzó su voz, y anduvo par esos mundos mezclando dicha y dolor.
The years passed, and the man found his voice and walked through those worlds mixing happiness and pain.
Y el hombre quiso ser niño, quiso ser nube y ser pez, mas la playa era de angustia y las nubes el ayer.
And the man wanted to be a child, wanted to be a cloud and be a fish, but the beach was full of anguish, and the clouds were the past.
Y el hombre va par el mundo con razón o sin razón, y lleva un niño frustrado gimiendo en su corazón.
And the man travels through the world with or without reason, carrying a frustrated child groaning in his heart.
Contributed by Elliot L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Agustin Distefano
Que bella cancion de Don ata
alterna cine
<3