Today her value is recognized, not only in Portugal but also in many foreign countries, where her presence is regularly requested.
Mafalda Arnauth, her first album released in 1999, was immediately acclaimed by specialists and won the Prize for Best Upcoming Voice by the weekly magazine Blitz, a sign that new generations are back into fado.
After a year filled with concerts and important invitations, that took her to the most important concert halls in The Netherlands, the Louisiana Centre (Denmark) and to Italy, to perform in the festival Sete-Sois, Sete-Luas, an important Mediterranean folk event, she sang at Centro Cultural de Belém (Lisbon), where she was warmly acclaimed by the press.
Mafalda's second album, Esta voz que me atravessa (This voice that goes through me) was reelased in 2001 and it was produced by Amélia Muge and José Martins. Her album Encantamento was self-produced. She feels it "leaves fatality, disgrace, and nostalgia behind. Hope is fed on sadness; inspiration on suffering; strength and courage on diffculties."
A casa e o mundo
Mafalda Arnauth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Não me basta esta onda
Não me basta esta praia
Não me basta este mar
Estão já os meus olhos tão longe
Longe tão longe do adeus
Quem sabe até se sou eu
Que já estou pr'a lá do mar
Quem dera
que os meus olhos fossem asa
E ser gaivota que no céu
parada
Olhando o cais
Vê nele o mundo, vê nele a casa
E só sente, ao partir, que é
madrugada
Quantas vezes largaram
Do meu peito os navios
Se fiquei ou parti
Nem sei bem, pois andei
Sempre à volta de uma casa
Tão longe e perto daqui
Não é terra de habitar
É espaço sem ter lugar
Que eu gostava de encontrar.
In Mafalda Arnauth's song "A casa e o mundo", the singer expresses her discontent with the current state of being at the beach, as it is not enough to satisfy her desires. The sand, waves, beach, and sea are not enough to quell the longing in her eyes, which are already set far away from the goodbye. She wonders if she is the one who is beyond the sea and sky. The singer yearns for a life beyond what is currently in front of her, and this sentiment is clear throughout the lyrics.
The second verse sees the singer expressing her desire to transcend her current state of being and become a bird soaring in the sky, a seagull to be precise. She wishes to be perched on the shore, watching the world pass her by, and feeling the morning's arrival as she departs from her view. The singer seems to be looking for something more profound than the physical world around her, yearning to find a deeper sense of purpose or belonging.
The final verse speaks to the singer's history, where her heart frequently endured departures and arrivals, never quite sure whether she stayed or left. The house she sought was something that was fundamentally far and near, neither on this land nor elsewhere, but a space beyond dimensions that could give her meaning. Mafalda Arnauth's song speaks to people who yearn for something greater than themselves, a place where they feel they belong, and the sense of being rooted that they seek.
Line by Line Meaning
Não me basta esta areia
I am not satisfied with just this sand
Não me basta esta onda
I am not satisfied with just this wave
Não me basta esta praia
I am not satisfied with just this beach
Não me basta este mar
I am not satisfied with just this sea
Estão já os meus olhos tão longe
My eyes are already so far away
Longe tão longe do adeus
Far, so far away from goodbye
Quem sabe até se sou eu
Who knows if it's even me
Que já estou pr'a lá do mar
Who's already beyond the sea
Que já estou pr'a lá dos céus
Who's already beyond the heavens
Quem dera
Oh, if only
que os meus olhos fossem asa
If my eyes were wings
E ser gaivota que no céu
And be a seagull in the sky
parada
Perched
Olhando o cais
Looking at the dock
Vê nele o mundo, vê nele a casa
Seeing the world, seeing a home in it
E só sente, ao partir, que é
And only feeling, when leaving, that it's
madrugada
Dawn
Quantas vezes largaram
How many times have they sailed away
Do meu peito os navios
From my heart, the ships
Se fiquei ou parti
If I stayed or left
Nem sei bem, pois andei
I'm not sure, because I wandered
Sempre à volta de uma casa
Always around a house
Tão longe e perto daqui
So far and yet so close by
Não é terra de habitar
It's not a land to dwell in
É espaço sem ter lugar
It's a space without a place
Que eu gostava de encontrar.
That I would like to find.
Contributed by Carson N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.