Canto Al Ombú*

(Zamba)

(Recited)

thrown to the Ranquel tent
my zamba is from that time
when my land was mine.
She went around making war,
she's gaucho like the rhea
and even has the caracú
strong national fiber..
My zamba is from the grassland
and will sing to the ombú.

(singing)

Lost in the distance
lonely gaucho watchtower of land and cross,
alone in my pampas
the ombú will always rise.

Sadness that arrives while walking
with the blues of prayer
the soul of Santos Vega
floating in tradition.

The ombú of the llaneros
little shelter from some campfire
singer of hoarse pampas
bastion against the raid.

Under your shade they adored
two criollo souls, the same anointing
and on your bark they engraved
two letters and a heart.

I remember that's how you're named
with a blow that has passed
Güiraldes, Segundo Sombra
and the gesture of a goodbye.

* The ombú or bellasombra (Phytolacca dioica) is a tree-like plant native to the Argentine and Uruguayan Pampas. Despite its thick trunk and large size (reaching a height of 10 to 15 m, with a wide canopy and large visible roots) it is debated whether it is a tree, a shrub, or an herb, with spongy and soft wood; it contains large amounts of water, which allows it to survive in the environment of scarce rainfall in the dry pampas. It grows quickly, and is immune to a large part of drought.