Illapu was exiled due to their very liberal viewpoints during the right-wing dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, and returned to Chile in 1988. Their return was captured in the 1989 album `En Vivo: Parque La Bandera', which was a recording of their returning concert.
During their exile from Chile, they spent time in Europe in general and France in particular, where they gained a good amount of fame, as with other similar groups such as Inti Illimani and Los Calchakis.
Illapu comes from the Quechua word for "Lightning Bolt" (Quechua being the language of the Incan empire and still spoken by many Native American groups in South America).
Paloma Ausente
Illapu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(V. Parra).
Cinco noches que lloro por los caminos
Cinco cartas escritas se llevó el viento
Cinco pañuelos negros son los testigos
De los cinco dolores que llevo dentro
Paloma ausente.
Paso lunas enteras mirando el cielo
Con un sólo deseo en el pensamiento
Que no descienda herida mi palomita
La que viene fundida a los elementos
Paloma ausente.
Dice un papel escrito con tinta verde
Que teniendo paciencia todo se alcanza
Una que bien la tuvo salió bailando
De su jardín al arco de las alianzas
Paloma ausente.
Una jaula del aire viene bajando
Con todos sus barrotes de caláminas
Todos los pajarillos vienen trinando
Sin embargo distingo mi golondrina
Paloma ausente
Paloma ausente
Paloma ausente
...:::Nelita:::...
The lyrics of Illapu's song "Paloma Ausente" depict a person's profound longing for someone who is not present, symbolized by a bird, a dove or a pigeon. The first stanza opens with a person grieving for five nights as they walk along the roads with five black handkerchiefs as witnesses to the five sorrows inside. The repetition of "cinco" emphasizes the overwhelming sense of loss and longing. The second stanza describes how the person has been gazing at the sky night after night, wishing that the absent bird won't get hurt as it flies through the elements. Once again, the bird is a metaphor for the person who is not present. By viewing the bird as "fused with the elements," it suggests that the person is part of nature and therefore physically distant, making it even harder to bear the separation.
In the third stanza, the lyrics take on a more philosophical tone as they suggest that patience is the key to achieving one's goals, as conveyed by a piece of paper with green ink. However, the paper is juxtaposed with the image of a person who succeeded by not waiting at all – "salio bailando" – implying that waiting may not always be the answer to one's problems. The fourth and final stanza concludes the song with the image of a cage descending from the air, with all the birds singing happily, except for the one that the person is waiting for - their "golondrina"- which is missing. By repeating the phrase "paloma ausente," the singer drives home the central theme of the song - a yearning for someone who is absent.
Line by Line Meaning
Cinco noches que lloro por los caminos
I have cried for 5 nights along the roads
Cinco cartas escritas se llevó el viento
The wind has taken away 5 written letters
Cinco pañuelos negros son los testigos
5 black handkerchiefs are the witnesses
De los cinco dolores que llevo dentro
Of the 5 sorrows that I carry within
Paloma ausente.
Absent dove.
Paso lunas enteras mirando el cielo
I spend whole moons gazing at the sky
Con un sólo deseo en el pensamiento
With only one wish in my thoughts
Que no descienda herida mi palomita
That my little dove doesn't descend injured
La que viene fundida a los elementos
The one who's melted into the elements
Dice un papel escrito con tinta verde
A paper written in green ink says
Que teniendo paciencia todo se alcanza
That everything can be achieved with patience
Una que bien la tuvo salió bailando
The one who had it came out dancing
De su jardín al arco de las alianzas
From her garden to the arch of alliances
Paloma ausente.
Absent dove.
Una jaula del aire viene bajando
A cage of air is coming down
Con todos sus barrotes de caláminas
With all its tin bars
Todos los pajarillos vienen trinando
All the little birds come chirping
Sin embargo distingo mi golondrina
Nevertheless, I distinguish my swallow
Paloma ausente
Absent dove
Paloma ausente
Absent dove
Paloma ausente
Absent dove
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
verito silva
Que grande Illapu,algun día tendre el gusto de verlos,amo esta música,soy peruana,pero vivo en Buenos aires.,y los escucho siempre.
jim lobo
Ven a Perú 21/11/2021 se presentarán en Lima
meli
@villadono qqqq
Paulina Alvarez Vilches
Los he visto en vivo muchas veces. Maravillosos. El 27 de noviembre harán un concierto streaming
Ed gard
En vivo es lo mejor...los ví en puerto Montt...
villadono
Si son espectaculares... eh tenido en gusto de verlos en varias presentaciones
Daniel Santos Velasco Vizcarra
Hermoso tema. Saludos desde Perú, hermanos Chilenos!
Hector Vejares Salazar
Hay vamos mi bro ........saludos
Hugo Castillo Zúñiga
Saludos hermano.
Lesley Melómana Eterna
¡Cariños vecino! 🤗