Born on the 27th August 1941 in the port town of Mindelo, Cape Verde, on the island of São Vicente. Long known as the queen of the morna, a soulful genre (related to the Portuguese fado) sung in Creole-Portuguese, she mixed her sentimental folk tunes filled with longing and sadness with the acoustic sounds of guitar, cavaquinho, violin, accordion, and clarinet. Évora's Cape Verdean blues often spoke of the country's history of isolation and slave trade, as well as emigration; almost two-thirds of the million Cape Verdeans alive live abroad.
Évora's voice, a finely-tuned, melancholy instrument with a touch of hoarseness, highlighted her emotional phrasing by accenting a word or phrase. Even audiences who do not understand her language could be held spell-bound by the emotions evident in her performances.
In 2004 she won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album.
A heavy smoker for decades, Évora was diagnosed with heart problems in 2005. She suffered strokes in 2008 and in September 2011, when she announced she was retiring. She died at the age of seventy in São Vicente, Cape Verde on the 17th December 2011 from respiratory failure and hypertension. A Spanish newspaper reported that forty-eight hours before her death she was still receiving people in her home in Mindelo, popular for always having its doors open.
Luz dum estrela
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E na nha caminhada
Dinha lua ta vigià
Pa tudo di bom
Ser v'rado prata
Pa um manto leitoso
Acolhê nhas posse
Brisa ta sussurà-me
Qu'ess dor di meu
Ta ser sepultode
Na imensidao di bonança
Dess note tao clara
E antom
C'tudo nha paz reecontrada
Um ta podê segui rumo
Di nha estrela
Qu'jà pô ta brilhà na ceu
Di nha infortuna
Pa d'ze'me c'ma nha sina
Ja mudà
The lyrics of Cesária Évora's "Luz dum estrela" speak of finding guidance and hope through the presence of a star's light. The singer suggests that in her path through life, the moon also serves as a watchful eye overseeing all that is good. The star she mentions is described as having the ability to turn all that is silver in the world into a milky mantle that can protect and enfold her. The singer moves slowly, deliberately towards her final destination, with the wind whispering its support for her journey. The pain that she feels is described as a sepulcher buried in the vast expanse of calmness, but, in light of the clear notes emanating from the star, a peace can be achieved, and she can follow her star towards a better fate.
Overall, the song portrays the idea that life is a journey, and guidance is crucial to help one navigate the way. The moon acts as a guardian, helping to ensure that all is well while the star represents hope and the promise of a better future. The singer finds solace in the star's light, comforting her and leading her on her path to a better life.
Line by Line Meaning
Ja' me tem luz dum estrela
I have the light of a star within me
E na nha caminhada
And on my path
Dinha lua ta vigià
The moon watches over me
Pa tudo di bom
For all that is good
Ser v'rado prata
To be turned into silver
Pa um manto leitoso
For a milky cloak
Acolhê nhas posse
To embrace my possessions
Bem divagarim
Very slowly
Brisa ta sussurà-me
The breeze whispers to me
Qu'ess dor di meu
That my pain
Ta ser sepultode
Will be buried
Na imensidao di bonança
In the vastness of peace
Dess note tao clara
On this clear night
E antom
And then
C'tudo nha paz reecontrada
With all my peace regained
Um ta podê segui rumo
I can follow my path
Di nha estrela
Toward my star
Qu'jà pô ta brilhà na ceu
That is already shining in the sky
Di nha infortuna
Of my misfortune
Pa d'ze'me c'ma nha sina
To accept my fate
Ja mudà
Has already changed
Contributed by Landon K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Casey Greyson
Ja' me tem luz dum estrela
E na nha caminhada
Dinha lua ta vigià
Pa tudo di bom
Ser v'rado prata
Pa um manto leitoso
Acolhê nhas posse
Bem divagarim
Brisa ta sussurà-me
Qu'ess dor di meu
Ta ser sepultode
Na imensidao di bonança
Dess note tao clara
E antom
C'tudo nha paz reecontrada
Um ta podê segui rumo
Di nha estrela
Qu'jà pô ta brilhà na ceu
Di nha infortuna
Pa d'ze'me c'ma nha sina
Ja mudà
Ja' me tem luz dum estrela
E na nha caminhada
Dinha lua ta vigià
Pa tudo di bom
Ser v'rado prata
Pa um manto leitoso
Acolhê nhas posse
Bem divagarim
Brisa ta sussurà-me
Qu'ess dor di meu
Ta ser sepultode
Na imensidao di bonança
Dess note tao clara
E antom
C'tudo nha paz reecontrada
Um ta podê segui rumo
Di nha estrela
Qu'jà pô ta brilhà na ceu
Di nha infortuna
Pa d'ze'me c'ma nha sina
Ja mudà
Qu'jà pô ta brilhà na ceu
Di nha infortuna
Pa d'ze'me c'ma nha sina
Ja mudà
Rubén Sánchez
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Felix Ndayis de Bologne
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