Junto A Un Cañaveral Lyrics in English by Omara Portuondo

It starts small and sad: "Junto a un cañaveral / Una guajirita había" (beside a sugarcane field there was a little country girl), sobbing that she can't stop crying. A guajirita is a little guajira, a Cuban country girl, and the cañaveral is the sugarcane field that defines so much of rural Cuba.

Then the song turns into a postcard and never looks back. "Qué lindos son los paisajes / De mi Cuba bendecida" (how lovely are the landscapes of my blessed Cuba): proud palm groves, "ríos caudalosos" (mighty rivers), and a place where "se alivian los pesares" (sorrows are eased). The chorus is an invitation shouted over and over, "Ven a ver a mi Cuba feliz" (come and see my happy Cuba), "Ven a ver los cubanos gozar" (come and see the Cubans have a good time). Gozar is a great word to learn: it means enjoying yourself fully. Look out for "el Cauto" too, which is the Cauto, Cuba's longest river, and the guajiro riding in on his "yegua rosilla" (roan mare).