En blanco y negro

(Milonga)

I had a troop of one color
just like the best,
troop of dark color*
just like the pain,
dark like my sorrows,**
dark like my luck,
in the town they called her
'The troop of death'.

Four horses all black,
just like for a funeral,
four horses all black
like for cinching a dead man.
But all in their blackness
had their clear ribbon,
like a star in the night,
like the morning star.***

One had a white beak,
another had bandaged hands,
another a star on the forehead
like stained with hope,****
another had a small moon
right in the middle of the hip,
like carrying forever
harnessed a bad light.

You, girl, are black in soul,
black like my horses,
dark inside
and with a very white body.
White your body and dark
like my horses your soul,
you seem from my troop!,*****
forgive the comparison.

* Alfredo Zitarrosa, in all cases, says escuro and escura for oscuro and oscura.
** Alfredo Zitarrosa says 'dark like your soul'.
*** Alfredo Zitarrosa says 'But all in their blackness / had their clear mark, / like a star in the night, / like a morning star'.
**** Alfredo Zitarrosa says 'like stained with hope'.
***** Alfredo Zitarrosa says 'you seem from my troop!'.

Alfredo Zitarrosa version with Pepe Guerra:

I had a troop of one color
just like the best,
troop of dark color
just like the pain,
dark like your soul,
dark like my luck,
in the town they called her
'The troop of death'.

Four horses all black,
just like for a funeral,
four horses all black
like for cinching a dead man.
But all in their blackness
had their clear ribbon,
like a star in the night,
like the morning star.

One had a white beak,
another had bandaged hands,
another a morning star on the hip
like stained with hope,
another had a small moon
right in the middle of the hip,
like carrying forever
harnessed a bad light.

You, girl, are black in soul,
black like my horses,
so dark inside
and with a very white body.
White your body and dark
like my horses your soul,
you seem from my troop!,
forgive the comparison.