gracias, negra

On Sunday, October 4, 2009, the Argentine leader in the Nueva Canción movement, singer, and activist, Mercedes Sosa, passed away. Sunday happened to be Full Moon. I like to think la Negra Sosa chose to pass on that day, mainly because she beautifully sang the song, "Lunita Tucumana" by Atahualpa Yupanqui. The first stanza of the song in Spanish, and my humble translation to English:

Yo no le canto a la luna
porque alumbra y nada mas,
le canto porque ella sabe
de mi largo caminar.

I don't sing to the moon
because she sheds light and nothing else,
I sing because she knows
of my long journey.

Fortunately, back in September 2003, my friend Hallie and I saw la Negra sing at the Homenaje a Salvador Allende concert at Estadio Nacional in Ñuñoa, Santiago. She sang one of my favorite songs, "Sólo le pido a Dios" by León Gieco. An excerpt from the lyrics:

Sólo le pido a Dios
Que la guerra no me sea indiferente,
Es un monstruo grande y pisa fuerte
Toda la pobre inocencia de la gente.

I only ask of God
that I may not be indifferent to War
for it's a large monster that treads heavily
over the poor innocence of the People.

Thank you, Mercedes. Your memory lives on, as does the struggle.
Gracias, Negra. Su memoria esta presente, y la lucha sigue.