Alfonsina Y El Mar Lyrics in English by Mercedes Sosa

Fosforescentes is a beautiful, descriptive word for "phosphorescent," describing things that emit a magical-looking glow. It's an impressive word that you don't hear every day, making it a fun one to learn.

This famous song tells the tragic story of a poet walking into the sea. The lyrics use fantastic imagery to transform her final moments into a mythical journey, singing "Y fosforescentes caballos marinos harán una ronda a tu lado" (And phosphorescent seahorses will make a circle by your side). This creates an unforgettable, dreamlike underwater scene.

This beautiful and sad song by the great Argentinian singer Mercedes Sosa tells the story of a woman named Alfonsina who walks into the sea, never to return. The song imagines her final moments, describing how her “pequeña huella / No vuelve más” (small footprint / doesn't return) from the wet sand. It's a story of deep, quiet pain. The singer wonders about the “dolores viejos” (old pains) that Alfonsina kept silent as she followed a “sendero sólo de pena y silencio” (a path only of sorrow and silence) into the water.

But instead of just being a tragic story, the song turns her final journey into a magical, dream-like event. It imagines her “vestida de mar” (dressed in sea), being led by five little mermaids and surrounded by glowing seahorses. The song ends with what sounds like Alfonsina’s own words, asking her nurse to let her sleep in peace. She gives a final, firm instruction: “Y si llama él / No le digas que estoy / Di que me he ido” (And if he calls / Don't tell him I'm here / Say that I have gone). It's a powerful and mysterious ending to a truly special song.