Selections from Romancero Gitano by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco

Translated into ASL by David Bar-Tzur

Created 11 May 2005, links updated monthly with the help of LinkAlarm.

EXPLANATION OF THE GLOSSING SYSTEM
(to understand how I describe the signs in this translation).

La Guitarra (The Guitar)

GUITAR INDEX-rt SOUND LIKE CRY.

DAWN HIT LIKE GLASS TOAST BREAK~SPREAD. NOW GUITAR CRY CAN. DON'T TRY FORCE SILENT. WORTHLESS. DON'T TRY FORCE SILENT. IMPOSSIBLE.

CRY"over time" SAME-OLD-THING. LIKE WATERFALL. LIKE WIND CRY WHEN SNOW FALL"over time".

DON'T TRY FORCE SILENT. WORTHLESS. DON'T TRY FORCE SILENT. IMPOSSIBLE. GUITAR CRY, REALLY-WANT THINGS FAR-AWAY. HOT SOUTHERN BEACH REQUEST FLOWER WHITE.

SUPPOSE TARGET'concentric circles' HAVE-NONE, BOW CRY. IDEA~LIKE EVENING SEE MORNING GONE. IDEA~LIKE VERY-FIRST BIRD SIT TREE SIT-ON-BRANCH FALL-OFF-BRANCH DIE. PITY-ON-rt GUITAR. SOUND LIKE HEART SWORD FIVE PIERCE-rt.

Procesión (Procession)

ME ENVISION MANY STRANGE HORSE THEY-lf C->S'unicorn horn' (2h)V-CL'gallop down road'. WHERE FROM? FROM WHICH GRASS~THEREABOUT THEY RECENTLY B->O^-CL'munch up'? WHICH FOREST LIKE WE alt.HEAR STORY LONG-AGO? THEY-rt CLOSER-AND-CLOSER LOOK LIKE STAR SCADS-OF. WE THINK-ABOUT KING HIS MAGICIAN OR JESUS READY CRUCIFIED.

IDEA~LIKE KNIGHT DIE WANT HIS-rt HEART CUT-OUT GIFT-TO HIS-rt LADY HON.-IX-lf. HE-rt SERVE HER-lf SEVEN YEAR. OTHER KNIGHT GO-TOWARDS-GOAL REALLY-WANT MARRY BEAUTIFUL WOMAN FALL-IN-LOVE FINISH.

Paso (Passage)

VIRGIN YOU-ctr (2h)5-CL' billowing skirt'. VIRGIN ALONE"over time" UP-TO-NOW. YOUR HEART HEART-OPEN PARALLEL HUGE FLOWER FLOWER-OPEN. INSIDE YOUR SHIP WITH LIGHT TWINKLING SHINY. GO-BY-SHIP THROUGH CITY WATER RISES. NIGHT DARK, PEOPLE INSULT. STAR LOOK LIKE GLASS SCADS-OF.

VIRGIN HON.-INDEX-rt (2h)5-CL' billowing skirt'. VIRGIN ALONE"over time" UP-TO-NOW. YOU-ctr GO-BY-SHIP FOLLOW RIVER, ARRIVE SEA.

Saeta (Devotional Song)

CHRIST DARK, HE-lf WALK. PASS FLOWER WHITE LILY-SPREAD-OPEN IN DESSERT. NEXT PASS FLOWER CARNATION-OPEN FROM SPAIN. LOOK++-lf 1-CL'goes to rt'. LOOK++-rt 1-CL'goes to right'.

FROM SPAIN, SKY CLEAN, DARK, EARTH BLACK. WHY? FIRE. DITCH, WATER FLOW'slow'. CHRIST DARK. HIS-lf HAIR LONG, BLACK. WHY? FIRE. CIRCLE-CHEEKS 5-CL'prominent'. EYES F-CL'pupils' WHITE. LOOK++-lf 1-CL'goes to rt'. LOOK++-rt 1-CL'goes to right'.


Notes: TOAST - (2h)[C dot], POs > face, FOs ><, knuckles knock against each other as if clinking glasses.

REALLY-WANT - the sign WANT but shaken back and forth to show intensity.

FAR-AWAY - [1], twists while moving away with tongue shuttling from side to side. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Far.

TARGET'concentric circles' - (2h)[bC], POs ><, FOs up, are held close, then separate while hopping in arcs > signer.

HAVE-NONE - (2h)[B], POs > signer move upwards past mouth and swing upwards and apart while mouth blows on hands as they pass.

BOW - (2h)[S], move as if drawing back a bow. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Bow - 1.

IDEA~LIKE - a blending where IDEA has a [Y] instead of an [I] in anticipation of LIKE which - signed smoothly right afterwards.

VERY-FIRST - [1], PO down, FO away, supinates like the sign FIRST, but strikes the thumb of NDH [A dot], PO > DS, FO away. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: First.

SIT-ON-BRANCH FALL-OFF-BRANCH - [V:], PO down, FO away, perches on [1], PO down, FO > DS, then DH supinates and falls off "branch".

PITY-ON - [open 8], PO away, hand moves in vertical circles normal (perpendicular) to the chest. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Mercy - 1.

PIERCE - [1], PO up, FO away, pierces between index and middle fingers of [modified B], PO > signer, FO > DS. The middle and index fingers are separated before being pierced.

ENVISION - (2h)[S] are held at forehead with DH closer to head, and hands open to (2h)[5] while separating while FT wg. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Vision - 1.

C->S'unicorn horn' - [C]is held against forehead and moves away while closing to a fist.

(2h)V-CL'gallop down road' - (2h)[V], FOs down, curl while moving back mutliple times to show a horse galloping.

B->O^-CL'munch up' - [B||] like the open position of MEETING, has PO down and closes multiple times while moving away as if munching grass. Teeth are also gnashed.

CLOSER-AND-CLOSER - (2h)[B^], POs > signer, FOs ><, DH moves in stops and starts > NDH.

MAGICIAN - (2h)[O^], hold out index fingers which describe a circle in the air symmetrically, starting together, rising, separating, etc., and end with the index fingers retracting back to (2h)[O^] and then open to (2h)[5^] + AGENT.

CRUCIFIED - Thumbside of [S] is "driven" into palm of [B], PO away, FO up, then vice versa.

KNIGHT - (2h)[B^], POs > signer, are held in front of face, and DH taps NDH from above like the visor of a knight.

CUT-OUT (heart) - FT of [A dot] cuts around heart and [5:] pulls out heart while changing to a fist.

HON.-IX - [B], PO up, FO > the thing to be honored.

GO-TOWARDS-GOAL - like the sign GOAL but the DH moves in a vertical circle while going towards the goal to show a constant process.

VIRGIN - [V], PO away, FO up, brushes against DS of chin twice.

(2h)5-CL' billowing skirt' - Trace outline of puffy skirt from waist down.

PARALLEL - (2h)[1], POs down, FOs away, move forward. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Parallel.

FLOWER-OPEN - (2h)[A] are held together but the hands are twisted like the beginning of CHANGE. Hands twist back while opening to (2h)[5:] with the hands still held together.

TWINKLING - (2h)[O^], PO away, FOs up, open and close repeatedly to show light twinkling.

SHINY - (2h)[open 8], POs down, FOs away, twist rapidly at wrists while rising. For a QuickTime file of this sign, see ASL Pro: Shine.

(water level) RISES - (2h)[5], POs down, FOs away, ascend.

HE - [B], PO up, FO > Jesus.

LILY-SPREAD-OPEN - [O^], PO away, FO up, opens slowly.

CARNATION-OPEN - [S], PO up, FO away, opens slowly.

DITCH - (2h)[B], POs diagonal, FO away, move away.

CIRCLE-CHEEKS - FTs of (2h)[1] trace circles on cheeks.

5-CL'prominent' - (2h)[5], POs > cheeks, FOs up, move out slightly and curl.

F-CL'pupils' - (2h)[F], POs ><, FOs up, are held at eyes.

Lyrics:

La Guitarra (The Guitar)

The weeping of the guitar begins. The glasses of dawn break. The weeping of the guitar begins.

ItŐs useless to silence it. ItŐs impossible to silence it. It cries, monotonously, like the waters cry, like the wind cries over the snowfall.

ItŐs useless to silence it. ItŐs impossible to silence it.

It weeps for things far away. The hot southern sand asking for white camellias.

The arrow without target cries, the evening without morning, and for the first bird dying on the branch.

Oh, guitar! Heart wounded by five swords.

Procesión (Procession)

Down the road come strange unicorns. From which field? From which mythological wood? When closer they seem like astronomers. Fantastic Merlins and the ecce homo [an image of Christ], Haunted Durandarte, Furious Orlando [mythological characters].

Paso (Passage)

Virgin with billowing skirt, virgin of solitude, opening like an immense tulip.

In your ship of lights you head towards the high tide of the city, among dark insults and crystal stars.

Virgin with billowing skirt, virgin of solitude, you go on the river from the street to the sea!

Saeta (Devotional Song)

The darkened Christ walks past a lily of Judea, then to a carnation of Spain. Watch him come! Watch him go!

From Spain, the sky, clean and dark, the earth scorched, and ditches where water runs very slowly.

The darkened Christ, his long hair with burned hue, prominent cheekbones and pupils white. Watch him come! Watch him go!

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