The firstborn son of Sérgio Buarque de Hollanda, Buarque lived at several locations throughout his childhood, though mostly in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Rome. He wrote and studied literature as a child and found music through the bossa nova compositions of Tom Jobim and João Gilberto. He performed as a singer and guitarist in the 1960s as well as writing a play that was deemed dangerous by the Brazilian military dictatorship of the time. Buarque, along with several Tropicalist and MPB musicians, was threatened by the Brazilian military government and eventually left Brazil for Italy in 1969. However, he came back to Brazil in 1970, and continued to record, perform, and write, though much of his material was suppressed by government censors. He released several more albums in the 1980s and published three novels in the 1990s and 2000s.
In 2019, Buarque was awarded the Camões Prize, the most important prize for literature in the Portuguese language.
Mar y Luna
Chico Buarque Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Las bocas saladas por la marejada
Las costas dañadas por las tempestades
De en esta ciudad tan distante del mar
Amaron el amor sereno
De nocturnas playas
Alzaban las faldas
En aquella ciudad
Tan sin brillo lunar
Amaron el amor prohibido
Hoy eso es sabido
Todo el mundo cuenta
Que una andaba lenta
Grávida de luna
Y otra iba desnuda
Ávida de mar
Y fueron quedando marcadas
Oyendo las risas
Temblando de frío
Mirando hacia en el río tan lleno de luna
Y que continúa
Fluyendo hacía el mar
Y fueron corrientes abajo
Rodando en el lecho
Y tragando agua
Flotando con algas
Arrastrando hojas
Abrazando flores
Hasta naufragar
Se fueron volviendo peces
Volviendo almejas
Volviendo espuma
Volviendo arena
Plateada arena
Con luna llena
Orilla al mar
The opening lines of this song, "Amaron amor urgente / Las bocas saladas por la marejada / Las costas dañadas por las tempestades / De en esta ciudad tan distante del mar" describe a people who love each other urgently, in a place far from the ocean. The salty mouths are caused by the waves and the beaches are damaged by the storms. The lovers were enamored with the serene love of nighttime beaches where they could express their happiness by making love without the direct light of the moon. The song describes how they loved each other without hesitation, even though their love was forbidden. In this city with no moonlight, their love was a bright spot for them.
The lovers were marked by their love, despite people whispering and pointing fingers. They shivered from cold, and yet their love managed to keep them warm. The moon, constantly flowing towards the sea, seemed to have no effect on them, as they were completely lost in the moment. But eventually, they were swept away by the current of the river, rolling down its bed, consuming water, floating with the algae, carrying flowers, and embracing the sand. They slowly turned into fish, clams, and then foam, until they became nothing but silver sand, right next to the ocean.
Line by Line Meaning
Amaron amor urgente
They loved each other urgently
Las bocas saladas por la marejada
Their salty kisses were a result of the rough sea
Las costas dañadas por las tempestades
The coastline was damaged by the storms
De en esta ciudad tan distante del mar
In this city so far from the sea
Amaron el amor sereno
They loved the serene love
De nocturnas playas
Of nocturnal beaches
Alzaban las faldas
They raised their skirts
Y sin luna amaban de felicidad
And they loved happily even without the moon
En aquella ciudad
In that city
Tan sin brillo lunar
So devoid of lunar shine
Amaron el amor prohibido
They loved the forbidden love
Hoy eso es sabido
Today that is known
Todo el mundo cuenta
Everyone tells the tale
Que una andaba lenta
That one walked slowly
Grávida de luna
Pregnant with moonlight
Y otra iba desnuda
And the other was naked
Ávida de mar
Longing for the sea
Y fueron quedando marcadas
And they were marked
Oyendo las risas
Hearing the laughter
Temblando de frío
Trembling from the cold
Mirando hacia en el río tan lleno de luna
Looking at the river so full of moonlight
Y que continúa
And it continues
Fluyendo hacía el mar
Flowing towards the sea
Y fueron corrientes abajo
And they went downstream
Rodando en el lecho
Rolling in the riverbed
Y tragando agua
And swallowing water
Flotando con algas
Floating with the seaweed
Arrastrando hojas
Dragging leaves
Abrazando flores
Embracing flowers
Hasta naufragar
Until they shipwrecked
Se fueron volviendo peces
They turned into fish
Volviendo almejas
Becoming clams
Volviendo espuma
Becoming foam
Volviendo arena
Becoming sand
Plateada arena
Silver sand
Con luna llena
In the light of the full moon
Orilla al mar
By the sea shore
Contributed by Chloe V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@guillermotoro4811
Lo amo mucho sus canciones son obras de arte nobel de literatura....
@UnNombreExpectacular
Una canción inscrita en Las Bellas Artes 🌹
@guillermotoro4811
Lo amo mucho sus canciones son obras de arte nobel de literatura....