2007年VOA标准英语-Octogenarian Cape Verdean Guitarist Reflects on

By Phuong Tran
Praia, Cape¹ Verde
20 May 2007

Lela Violao practices in Praia Cape Verde

The West African island nation of Cape Verde has suffered for centuries from periods of severe famine and drought. Most of its residents have immigrated² overseas. Musicians still living on the mostly barren archipelago say hard times gave birth to the island's melancholic³ songs known as morna, with its lyrics⁴ of loss and sacrifice. Phuong Tran talks to 78-year-old island guitarist Lela Violao, who traces the changes in this tiny island's history through its music.

Guitarist Lela Violao was born on the island of Sao Vicente in 1928. Growing up, he says, he remembers hiding his guitar playing from his disapproving⁵ father.

Violao says that as a 14-year-old, he earned about five cents playing on the street every night while his father was at work. He says he gave half of his earnings⁶ to his step-mother so she would help keep his secret.

A self-taught musician, Violao says there was never a music school when he grew up. Only recently did the former Portuguese-colony open its first music school.

Violao says Cape Verdean musicians have mostly learned on their own, finding the music within them naturally and without any formal instruction.

Violao grew up to practice civil engineering, working on construction projects as more of the country's 10 still-volcanic islands became inhabited.

When he could not find work, he played his guitar, even after losing part of his middle finger in an accident in 1956.

He mostly performed what islanders call morna music, singing about nostalgia⁷, love, loss and sacrifice.

"Cape Verdeans know that our talent comes from the sacrifices others made before us. We are able to sing because others have died of hunger for us," said Violao.  "Our strength comes from this history of perseverance⁸ and hope."

"Morna is the saddest of our island's songs," he added. "If you are already feeling sad when you listen to it, you will feel the pain even deeper. The songs talk about eternity⁹. That is a long time to feel sadness."

Waves of drought in Cape Verde prompted massive emigration throughout the 20th century, to the point more Cape Verdeans now live outside the country than in it. Even as recent as five years ago, the Cape Verdean government asked for international aid after a bad harvest.

But Violao says things are changing for the island.

"I grew up in a different time when people were dying of hunger," he said. "Now, more Cape Verdeans and donors¹⁰ are giving the island money. I am happy with how the islands are doing."

On average, Cape Verdeans earn more than most of their West African neighbors, about $2,000 a year, and their country is no longer considered one of the world's poorest countries. It is set to become, officially, a middle-income country at the end of this year.

Violao says the music is also changing. Whereas, he says, it changed little before independence from Portugal some 30 years ago, young musicians now are creating more modern genres¹¹ like this one.

But even with these changes, the island guitarist is not ready to stop singing the hundreds of morna songs he has memorized.

This father of 30 children, married to his 11th wife, says there will always be plenty of reasons to sing morna.

1 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

2 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句

3 melancholic   

忧郁症患者

参考例句：

• A absurd tragedy accompany a melancholic song by the Tiger Lillies. 一出荒诞的悲剧，在泰戈莱利斯犹豫的歌声中缓缓上演。
• I have never heard her sing a melancholic song. 我从来没有听她唱过忧伤的曲子。

4 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

5 disapproving   

adj.不满的，反对的v.不赞成( disapprove的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Mother gave me a disapproving look. 母亲的眼神告诉我她是不赞成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her father threw a disapproving glance at her. 她父亲不满地瞥了她一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

7 nostalgia   

n.怀乡病，留恋过去，怀旧

参考例句：

• He might be influenced by nostalgia for his happy youth.也许是对年轻时幸福时光的怀恋影响了他。
• I was filled with nostalgia by hearing my favourite old song.我听到这首喜爱的旧歌，心中充满了怀旧之情。

8 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。

9 eternity   

n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷

参考例句：

• The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
• Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞，永世相随。

10 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 genres   

（文学、艺术等的）类型，体裁，风格( genre的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Novel and short story are different genres. 长篇小说和短篇小说是不同的类别。
• But confusions over the two genres have a long history. 但是类型的混淆，古已有之。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译