O Embuçado

The Masked One

O Embuçado

In another time the nobilityNoutro tempo a fidalguia
That made a stir in the bullfightsQue deu brado nas toiradas
Walked through the Moorish quarterAndava p'la mouraria
In many palaces there wereEm muito palácio havia
Songs and guitar playingDescantes e guitarradas

And the story I'm going to tellE a história que eu vou contar
Was told to me by a certain old ladyContou-ma certa velhinha
About a time when I went to singDe uma vez que eu fui cantar
In the hall of a noblemanAo salão de um titular
Near the queen's palaceLá p'ró paço da rainha

And in that golden hallE nesse salão dourado
Of noble and serious atmosphereDe ambiente nobre e sério
To listen to the fado being sungPara ouvir cantar o fado
There was always a masked oneIa sempre um embuçado
A mysterious characterPersonagem de mistério

But one night someoneMas certa noite houve alguém
Told him, raising his voiceQue lhe disse erguendo a fala
Masked one, take note, today no oneEmbuçado, nota bem, que hoje não fique ninguém
Masked remains in this room!Embuçado nesta sala!

And to general amazementE ante admiração geral
The masked one was revealedDescobriu-se o embuçado
He was the king of Portugal, there was a royal audienceEra el-rei de Portugal, houve beija-mão real
And then the fado was sungE depois cantou-se o fado