This poem, "Negra Sombra," became one of the most emblematic Galician ballads ever when composer Juan Montes Capón fused it with an alalá written down in Cruz do Incio (Lugo). The musical arrangement had its debut in Havana's Grand Theatre in 1892. The ballad is arguably one of the most beautiful and principal in the Galician repertoire; its lyrics so blend with the melody that it is no longer possible to conceive them apart.
(Apuntes de "Negra Sombra." Casavaria)
When I think that you have gone,
Black shadow that overshades me,
You return to the side of my bed
making fun of me.
When I think that you've gone,
I see you even in the sun
taunting me
And you are the star that shines
And you are the wind that moans.
If there's singing it's you who sings,
If there's weeping it's you who weeps
And you are the whispering sound of the river
And you are the night and you are the dawn.
You are everywhere
you are everything,
For me and within me you live
Nor will you ever leave me,
You, the shadow that always overshades me.
