"La Chinaca" translate CW vet verses

[Danny]

Would ask someone familiar with period Spanish to translate into English these verses of a song as sung by a CW Confederate vet (Crisostome Longoria) that he and his unit sang "as a signal that the Northern forces were near."

His daughter passed the verses on to music researchers (Southern Recording Trip, March 31-June 14, 1939, John A. and Ruby T. Lomax pg. 68

La Chinaca

Por hay viene la chinaca
Toda vestida de grig
Preguntandole a los mochos
Donde esta su Emperatris.

Si vien puebla se perdio
No fue falta de valor
Fus por falta de elementos
Para la Confederacion

I haven't listened to the tune yet but will go back into the site (http://memory.loc.gov) to find the recording if it's available there. Longoria "served along the border" so I assume that means in Texas, but no unit name was given.

Dan Wykes

[Danny]

Re: "La Chinaca" translate CW vet verses

...His daughter passed the verses on to music researchers...

Spanish-speakers, you may prefer to hear the old Reb's daughter, Manuela Longoria, sing it:

http://albert-baur.googlegroups.com/web/La+Chinaca+-+Manuela+Longoria.mp3?hl=en&gda=yh49Q1MAAAAQRyUjbAfeGN7OpYRqtdqQ5-1tn_xFwKU2L-xuO2fJFFnOSW_ITWlggm8AeLjm7u0ldajeQQUjUcp5xhAj5kqnMrYifh3RmGHD4v9PaZfDexVi73jmlo822J6Z5KZsXFo&gsc=Go63AgsAAABsUAnEM1IrknafpgpTvhyR

Dan Wykes

[BorderRuffian]

Re: "La Chinaca" translate CW vet verses

I just happen to have a bi-lingual gal at my work,so this was her interpretation:


The Chinaca

There comes the chinaca
All dress up of grey
Asking the machos
Where is your Empress?

If Puebla got lost
It wasn't because of courage
It was of lack of elements
Of the Confederation.




To elaborate, chinaca are the people of the village,the machos is the priest or religious figure of the village.Not sure about the Empress question.Puebla is the nearest big city or town.


Hope this helps.....................


Forrest Peterson
Gringo Mess

[Danny]

Re: "La Chinaca" translate CW vet verses

Forrest, thanks, yes that helps... with that and other sources it's something to the effect:

The Little Miss (from Chinaca)

There comes the Little Miss,
all dressed in grey,
asking the men
Where is your Leader?

If the town is lost
It won't be for lack of courage,
but for lack of supplies
for the Confederation.

Anyway, imagine it sung in unison by Spanish-speaking Confederates in picket along the Texas border as the Federals advance.

Dan Wykes

[OldKingCrow]

Re: "La Chinaca" translate CW vet verses

Anyway, imagine it sung in unison by Spanish-speaking Confederates in picket along the Texas border as the Federals advance.

Research supported ?

[Danny]

Re: "La Chinaca" translate CW vet verses

Research supported ?

Chris -

I already listed my source for the song and it's provenance to a Confederate vet, but if you want to see the research fer yerself it's attached.

As to the source for me imagining what it was like...that's me...not sure what you were looking for there.

Dan Wykes

[OldKingCrow]

Re: "La Chinaca" translate CW vet verses

Just looking for something credible to support use by (Texas) CS forces.

Something more than a second hand recollection 74 years after the fact.

When you spoke in terms of being sung by CS forces...I thought you might be speaking based on something other than your imagination.

[Danny]

Re: "La Chinaca" translate CW vet verses

Just looking for something credible to support use by (Texas) CS forces...

Yeah, see what you mean. The Lomax's (Wikipedia them) were a couple of kooks and the old Reb's daughter probably made up the whole thing for money; though you would think she'd pick a more believable name than "Longoria", I mean what kind of a Reb name is that? Anyway why would Rebs protecting a town on the Texas border have sung a song - and in Spanish, not Southern - about invading Federals ? Quite a twisted path of deceit I'd say... Thanks for the reality check. :)

It'll be a cold day in H-- before I ever sing that song at a reenactment!

Dan Wykes

[OldKingCrow]

Re: "La Chinaca" translate CW vet verses

Questioning sets you tangential with the sarcasm ?

This is the research focused end of the pool, perhaps you should take your delicate ego back to the other website where you continually disparage the research based side of this hobby. Then you can imagine and Wiki research to your heart is content.

[Danny]

Re: "La Chinaca" translate CW vet verses

Chris -

I guess you missed the little happy face :)

Anyway my research is real enough, see the category card attached, it's actually titled "Confederate Song".

It goes without saying that songs weren't CSA issue. And no amount of research can verify with the dead, not even on the AC.

Dan Wykes