Ay, Soledad

Iban muchachos desnudos,

Boys were going naked,

ay, soledad de la luna,

Oh, solitude of the moon,

a torear junto al río

To bullfight by the river

hambres de sueño y fortuna.

Hungers for dreams and fortune.

Planta sus pies frente al toro

He plants his feet in front of the bull

y se queda solo y es una escultura,

And remains alone, a sculpture,

y esa belleza desnuda

And that naked beauty

templa, para y manda por la madrugá,

Tempers, pauses, and commands through the early morning,

que el pulso de las muñecas

As the pulse of the wrists

a su boca seca más valor le da.

to his dry mouth gives more courage.

La luna llega y la para

The moon arrives and stops him,

qué estampa,

What a sight,

luego, mandando, la templa,

Then, commanding, he tempers it,

y el campo que lo contempla

And the field that contemplates him

se inventa

Invents

silencios de Maestranza.

Silences of the bullring.

Y en este verte y no verte

And in this seeing and not seeing

la luna en el horizonte

The moon on the horizon

sabe ya que es Juan Belmonte

Already knows that it is Juan Belmonte

que va cargando la suerte, que va

Who is loading the luck, who is

que va cargando la suerte.

Who is loading the luck.

Eran los años oscuros

They were dark years

y anochecer de una vida

And the nightfall of a life

tu nombre está en el toreo,

Your name is in bullfighting,

bien ganaste la partía.

You won the match.

A solas está de nuevo,

Alone again,

campo, tierra y cielo, igual que aquel día

Field, earth, and sky, just like that day

y encierra un toro en la plaza,

And he locks a bull in the arena,

templa, para y manda, la luna no está,

Tempers, pauses, and commands, the moon is not there,

ay si la luna estuviera

Oh, if the moon were there,

mala compañera es la soledad.

Loneliness is a bad companion.

La muerte llega y la para,

Death comes and stops him,

qué estampa,

What a sight,

luego, mandando, la templa,

Then, commanding, he tempers it,

y el campo que lo contempla

And the field that contemplates him

se inventa

Invents

silencios de Maestranza.

Silences of the bullring.

Y en este verte y no verte

And in this seeing and not seeing

rompe el vuelo una paloma

A dove breaks its flight

y suena aquella pistola

And that pistol sounds

que va cargando tu muerte, que va

That is loading your death, that is

que va cargando tu muerte.

That is loading your death.