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.
Maria Elena
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh sol de mi querer;
Mujer de mi ilusiôn,
Mi amor te consagré.
Mi vida la embellece
Una esperanza azul,
Mi vida tiene un cielo
Tuyo es mi corazôn,
Oh sol de mi querer;
Tuyo es todo mi ser,
Tuyo es, mujer.
Ya todo el corazôn
Te lo entregué.
Eres mi fe,
Eres mi Dios,
Eres mi amor.
...
Tuyo es mi corazôn,
Oh sol de mi querer;
Tuyo es todo mi ser,
Tuyo es, mujer.
Ya todo el corazôn
Te lo entregué.
Eres mi fe,
Eres mi Dios,
Eres mi amor.
Ya todo el corazôn
Te lo entregué.
Eres mi fe,
Eres mi Dios,
Eres mi amor.
The lyrics to Cesária Évora's song "Maria Elena" express a deep sense of devotion and love towards a woman named Maria Elena. The singer addresses Maria Elena as the "sun of his affection" and the woman of his dreams, whom he has dedicated all of his love. The singer explains that his life has been embellished by a blue hope that Maria Elena has brought into his world. He has given her his heart and she is the source of his faith, his god, and his true love.
The song is an ode to love and devotion, highlighting the depth of emotion and passion that one can experience towards another person. The use of metaphorical language is prominent in this song, with the singer addressing Maria Elena as the "sun" and his "god", adding a level of mystical and spiritual significance to the concept of love. The repetition of the phrase "tuyo es mi corazón" (you have my heart) further emphasizes the dedication and commitment of the singer's love towards Maria Elena.
Overall, "Maria Elena" is a beautiful and heartfelt expression of love, highlighting the transformative power of deep emotions, and the ability of love to transcend boundaries and create a sense of devotion beyond compare.
Line by Line Meaning
Tuyo es mi corazôn,
My heart belongs to you,
Oh sol de mi querer;
Oh sun of my love;
Mujer de mi ilusiôn,
Woman of my dreams,
Mi amor te consagré.
I consecrated my love to you.
Mi vida la embellece
My life is beautified by you,
Una esperanza azul,
A blue hope,
Mi vida tiene un cielo
My life has a sky,
Que le diste tu.
That you gave to it.
Tuyo es todo mi ser,
My entire being is yours,
Tuyo es, mujer.
Yours it is, woman.
Ya todo el corazôn
I’ve already given you my heart,
Te lo entregué.
I gave it to you.
Eres mi fe,
You are my faith,
Eres mi Dios,
You are my God,
Eres mi amor.
You are my love.
Ya todo el corazôn
I’ve already given you my heart,
Te lo entregué.
I gave it to you.
Eres mi fe,
You are my faith,
Eres mi Dios,
You are my God,
Eres mi amor.
You are my love.
Ya todo el corazôn
I’ve already given you my heart,
Te lo entregué.
I gave it to you.
Eres mi fe,
You are my faith,
Eres mi Dios,
You are my God,
Eres mi amor.
You are my love.
Contributed by Nathaniel W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.