John Barleycorn

João Cevada

John Barleycorn

Havia três homensThere were three men
Que vieram do oesteCame from the west
Para contar suas sortes,Their fortunes for to tell,
E a vida de João CevadaAnd the life of John Barleycorn
Igualmente.As well.

Eles o deitaram em três sulcos profundos,They laid him in three furrows deep,
Colocaram barro sobre sua cabeça,Laid clods upon his head,
Então esses três homens fizeram um voto soleneThen these three man made a solemn vow
João Cevada estava morto.John Barleycorn was dead.

Deixaram-no morrer por muito tempoThe let him die for a very long time
Até que a chuva do céu caiu,Till the rain from heaven did fall,
Então o pequeno Sir João levantou a cabeçaThen little Sir John sprang up his head
E surpreendeu a todos.And he did amaze them all.

Deixaram-no em pé até o dia do solstício,They let him stand till the midsummer day,
Até que ele ficou pálido e fraco.Till he looked both pale and wan.
O pequeno Sir João deixou crescer uma longa barbaThe little Sir John he grew a long beard
E assim se tornou um homem.And so became a man.

Eles contrataram homens com foices bem afiadas,They have hired men with the scythes so sharp,
Para cortá-lo até o joelho,To cut him off at the knee,
Eles o enrolaram e o amarraram na cintura,The rolled him and they tied him around the waist,
O trataram de forma brutal.They served him barbarously.

Eles contrataram homens com varas de espinheiro,They have hired men with the crab-tree sticks,
Para tirar sua pele do osso,To cut him skin from bone,
E o moleiro o tratou pior que isso,And the miller has served him worse than that,
Pois o moeram entre duas pedras.For he's ground him between two stones.

Eles o levaram daqui, levaram dali,They've wheeled him here, they've wheeled him there,
Levaram-no para um celeiro,They've wheeled him to a barn,
E o trataram ainda pior que isso,And thy have served him worse than that,
Jogaram-no em um tonel.They've bunged him in a vat.

Eles fizeram o que quiseram com João CevadaThey have worked their will on John Barleycorn
Mas ele viveu para contar a história,But he lived to tell the tale,
Pois o serviram de um velho jarro marromFor they pour him out of an old brown jug
E o chamam de cerveja artesanal.And they call him home brewed ale.