On May 10, 1976, Manuel María’s collection of poems “Rolled songs for alienated and colonized” is published in the Editorial Xistral (Monforte de Lemos). The publishing house had been created in Lugo in 1952 by the Terra Chá poet himself together with Ánxel Johán, and he brought out a Galician collection of poems with the same name as the publishing house: the Xistral collection.
“Cantos rodados para alleados e colonizados” is one of Manuel María’s most committed books with a militant poetry, characterized by a strong political charge, created in the last throes of the Franco dictatorship. As Manuel López Foxo writes in an article published in the Bulletin of the Royal Galician Academy No. 377, pgs. 51-60, entitled “The last poetry of Manuel María. The books that open his last song”: “…In our opinion, all the books written by Manuel María in the first half of the seventies constitute, as a whole, a work poetic transition between his committed poetry of the 1960s and his latest poetry. Everything that previously worried the poet as a man committed to his people and to the destiny of his country is still present, and all that path he later makes inward, all that inner reflection is already there too. In that sense, it cannot be said that with the books written by Manuel María in the 1980s “he seems to want to join later lyrical currents” (García 2016: 108), nor can it be said that “Probably the latest books by Manuel María […] accompany his walk to the rhythm of the new ones” (Mato 2011: 154), because that change in his poetry, that other rhythm in his singing, already occurred in the seventies.
In my book album “A voz do vento”, published in 2016 by A Mesa Pola Normalización Lingüística, I included a poem from the book “Cantos rodados para alleados e colonizados”, entitled “Poema do alleado”. I surrounded myself with such talented musicians as Paco Cerdeira on electric guitar and ukulele, Álex Bardanca on electric bass, me on lead vocals and drums, and the special collaboration of my friend Antón Díaz singing this beautiful song with me. Paco Cerdeira and I took care of the production and mixing, and it was recorded at the Amil Studios.
- Poema do alleado Fran Amil e a tribo incompren 2:28
| Son un bilingüista | I am a bilingual |
| moi apaixonado, | very passionate, |
| un colonialista | a colonialist |
| ben colonizado. | well colonized. |
| Teño unha língua nai | I have a mother tongue |
| e unha língua pai | and a father tongue |
| e unha lingua filla | and a daughter language |
| que me marabilla. | that amazes me |
| Son un alleado | I am an alienated |
| fino e progresista | fine and progressive |
| ben domesticado. | well domesticated. |
| ¡Son un castrapista | I’m a castrapist |
| como está mandado! | as he is commanded! |
| Oi, oi,oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, alleado (x2) | Oi, oi,oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, alienated (x2) |
I leave you with a recording of the song “Poema do alleado”, which we did at the As Pontes de García Rodríguez concert on March 25, 2022, at Casa Dopeso.
To see the video, click on the photo.
And don’t forget to visit the page of the Casa Museo Manuel María to learn more about the poet from Terra Chá. Or, better yet, organize a getaway to Outeiro de Rei and visit it in person. And, of course, read the literature of Manuel María.
If you want to see more events related to the album “A voz do vento” click HERE.