Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey (L.S.B. Leakey) (7 August 1903 – 1 October 1972) was a British archaeologist and naturalist whose work was important in establishing human evolutionary development in Africa. He also played a major role in creating organizations for future research in Africa and for protecting wildlife there. Having been a prime mover in establishing a tradition of palaeoanthropological inquiry, he was able to motivate the next generation to continue it, notably within his own family, many of whom also became prominent. Leakey participated in national events of British East Africa and Kenya during the 1950s.
In natural philosophy he asserted Charles Darwin's theory of evolution unswervingly and set about to prove Darwin's hypothesis that man arose in Africa. Leakey was also a devout Christian.
Louis' parents, Harry and Mary Bazett Leakey (called May by her friends), were British missionaries of the Christian faith in then British East Africa, now Kenya. Harry had taken a previously established post of the Church Mission Society among the Kikuyu at Kabete. The station was at that time a hut and two tents in the highlands north of Nairobi. Louis' earliest home had an earthen floor, a leaky thatched roof, rodents and insects, and no heating system except for charcoal braziers. The facilities improved but slowly. The mission, a center of activity, set up a clinic in one of the tents, and later a girl's school for African women. Harry was working on a translation of the Bible into the Kenyan language, Kikuyu.
- Submitted by Albert Cla
(translation is not accurate, but... you get the meaning ;) )
- Thanks to Joan Bofill for giving the lyrics.
- If you read or like this, or want to comment something, please write me,
i wanna hear from you!
Que tinguem sort May we have luck
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Si em dius adeu If you say goodbye
vull que el dia sigui net i clar i want the day to be clean and clear,
que cap ocell trenqui may any bird brokes
l'harmonia del seu cant the harmony of it's singing
que tinguis sort, may you have luck,
i que trobis el que t'ha mancat en mi and find what you have missed in me
Si em dius et vull If you say i want you
que el sol faci el dia molt ms llarg may the sun make the day much longer
i aix¡ robar temps and so stealing time
al temps d'un rellotge aturat at time of a stopped clock
que tinguem sort may we have luck,
i que trobem tot el que ens va mancar ahir
and may we find all we were lack of yesterday
I aix¡ pren And so, take
I aix¡ pren And so, take
tot el fruit que et pugui donar all the fruit that it could give you
el cam¡ que poc a poc escrius, (the road that you slowly write)
per dem&, que dem&, que dem& for tomorrow, as tomorrow, as tomorrow
mancar& el fruit de cada pas we'll be lack of the fruit of each step
per aix" malgrat la boira cal caminar so, even the fog, we must walk
Si vens amb mi If you come with me
no demanis un cam¡ planer don't ask for a plain road
ni estels d'argent nor silver stars
ni un dem& ple de promeses, nor a tomorrow full of promises
sols un poc de sort(*) just a bit of luck
i que la vida ens doni un cam¡ ms llarg
and may life give us a longer road
I aix¡ pren And so, take
I aix¡ pren And so, take
tot el fruit que et pugui donar all the fruit that it could give you
el cam¡ que poc a poc escrius, (the road that you slowly write)
per dem&, que dem&, que dem& for tomorrow, as tomorrow, as tomorrow
mancar& el fruit de cada pas we'll be lack of the fruit of each step
per aix" malgrat la boira cal caminar and so, even the fog, we must walk
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NOTES:
- 'sols un poc de sort'='just a bit of luck'. 'Sols' and 'un poc' are not
- Submitted by Albert Cla
(translation is not accurate, but... you get the meaning ;) )
- Thanks to Joan Bofill for giving the lyrics.
- If you read or like this, or want to comment something, please write me,
i wanna hear from you!
Pa¡s Petit Small Country
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El meu pa¡s s tan petit My country is so small
que quan el sol se'n va a dormir that when the sun goes to sleep,
mai no est& prou segur d'haver-lo vist. he's never sure if he has seen it.
Diuen les velles s&vies; Old wise women say,
que s per aix" que torna. that's why he comes back.
Potser s¡ que exageren, Yes, maybe they exaggerate,
tant se val, s aix¡ com m'agrada a mi who cares, that's the way I like
i no en sabria dir res ms. and I could say no more.
Canto i sempre en sabr I sing and I'll always know
malalt d'amor pel meu pa¡s. sick of love for my country.
El meu pa¡s s tan petit My country is so small
que des de dalt d'un campanar that up from a bell tower
sempre es pot veure el campanar ve¡. we can always see next one.
Diuen que els poblets tenen por, They say small towns are scared,
tenen por de ser massa grans, scared to be too big,
tant se val, s aix¡ com m'agrada a mi who cares, that's the way I like
i no en sabria dir res ms. and I could say no more.
Canto i sempre en sabr I sing and I'll always know
malalt d'amor pel meu pa¡s. sick of love for my country.
El meu pa¡s s tan petit My country is so small
que sempre cap dintre del cor that there's always room in my heart
si s que la vida et porta lluny d'aqu¡ if life takes you far from here
i ens fem contrabandistes and we become smugglers
mentre no descobreixin while they can't discover
detectors pels secrets del cor detectors for secrets from the heart
I s aix¡, s aix¡ com m'agrada a mi
And that's the way, that's the way i like it
i no en sabria dir res ms. and I could say no more.
Canto i sempre en sabr I sing and I'll always know
malalt d'amor pel meu pa¡s. sick of love for my country.
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NOTES:
- Submitted by Albert Cla
(translation is not accurate, but... you get the meaning ;) )
- Thanks to Joan Bofill for giving the lyrics.
- If you read or like this, or want to comment something, please write me,
i wanna hear from you!
L'estaca The stake
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L'avi Siset em parlava(*) Grandpa Siset spoke with me
de bon mat¡ al portal early in the morning, in the frontdoor
mentre el sol esper&vem; while we were wainting for the sun
i els carros veiem passar. and we saw passing the cars(*)
Siset que no veus l'estaca Siset, don't you see the stake
a on estem tots lligats? where we all are tied?
Si no podem desfer-la If we cannot undo it
mai no podrem caminar! we won't be able to walk!
Si estirem tots ella caur& If we all pull it, it will fall
i molt de temps no pot durar, and it can't last much time,
segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, surely it falls, falls, falls,
ben corcada deu ser ja. it must be worm-eatn by now.
Si jo l'estiro fort per aqu¡, If i pull hard towards here,
i tu l'estires fort per all&, and you pull it towards there,
segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, i'm sure it falls, falls, falls,
i ens podrem alliberar! and we'll be able to be free!
Per" ja fa molt temps ja! But it's been a long time, now!
Les mans se'm van escorxant! My hands are peeling!
I quan la for!a se me'n va And when my force goes
ella s ms ampla i ms gran. it's wider and bigger.
Ben cert s que est& podrida, Yes I know it's rotten,
per" s que, Siset, pesa tant, but you know, Siset, it's so heavy,
que a cops la for!a m'oblida. sometimes force forgets me.
Torna'm a dir el treu cant: Say me again your singing:
Si estirem tots ella caur& If we all pull it, it will fall
i molt de temps no pot durar, and it can't last much time,
segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, surely it falls, falls, falls,
ben corcada deu ser ja. it must be worm-eatn by now.
Si jo l'estiro fort per aqu¡, If i pull hard towards here,
i tu l'estires fort per all&, and you pull it towards there,
segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, i'm sure it falls, falls, falls,
i ens podrem alliberar! and we'll be able to be free!
L'avi Siset ja no diu res Grandpa Siset doesn't speak anymore
mal vent que se'l va emportar bad wind who took him away
ell qui sap cap a quin indret he, who knows where,
i jo aqu¡ sota el portal and me, here under the door
i quan passen els nous vailets and when new boys pass by
estiro el coll per cantar i strech my neck to sing
el darrer cant d'en Siset Siset's last singing
lo darrer que em va ensenyar(*) the last thing he taught me
Si estirem tots ella caur& If we all pull it, it will fall
i molt de temps no pot durar, and it can't last much time,
segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, surely it falls, falls, falls,
ben corcada deu ser ja. it must be worm-eatn by now.
Si jo l'estiro fort per aqu¡, If i pull hard towards here,
i tu l'estires fort per all&, and you pull it towards there,
segur que tomba, tomba, tomba, i'm sure it falls, falls, falls,
i ens podrem alliberar! and we'll be able to be free!
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NOTES:
- Siset is a familiar name for "Narc¡s" (narc¡s->narciset->ciset/siset)
- CAR here with the meaning of a horse car, not a four wheeled one ;)
- "lo darrer..." that LO is only used in certain places, it's 'illegal'
- Submitted by Albert Cla
(translation is not accurate, but... you get the meaning ;) )
- Thanks to Joan Bofill for giving the lyrics.
- If you read or like this, or want to comment something, please write me,
i wanna hear from you!
Damunt d'una terra Over a land
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Vailet, et diuen que a les guerres Boy, they say in wars
tan sols hi ha tristeses, there is only sadness,
no s'hi guanya mai. no one ever win.
Damunt d'aquesta terra encesa Over this lighted land
tot all" que s feble everything weak
vol ignorar els mals wants to ignore all diseases
I en Maurici va escoltar And Maurici heard
per" segueix a terra sense fer-ne cas, but stays in land taking no notice,
perqu` uns altres li han dit tant because others said so much to him
que la seva vida s patir sota el fang that his life is suffer under mud
Recorda les raons que un dia Remember the reasons that one day
varen canviar els signes changed the signs
d'aquell temps passat. of that past time.
Ell ha marcat la teva vida He marked your life
amb una ferida with a wound
que tu has decorat you have embellished
I en Maurici va escoltant And Maurici keeps hearing
i pensa que ja sap and thinks he knows
el perqu` dels mals. the cause to all diseases.
Per" se'n torna, i est& dubtant, But he comes back, and is doubting
i altres veus and other voices
ressonen tamb al seu voltant. echo too around him.
Vailet, no siguis anarquista Boy, don't be anarchist
i ves a la conquista(*) and go to conquest
de l'honor ms alt, of highest honor,
que al teu costat tindr&s; la for!a cause you'll have the force by your side
que ens porta a l'ordre that takes us to order
i ens permet la pau. and allows peace.
I en Maurici sap molt b And Maurici knows very well
que si noms dubta poca cosa t that if he just doubts he has little
En Maurici sap qu` fer, Maurici knows what do to,
trobar& els companys he'll meet his fellows
i sortir& al carrer. and will go out the street.
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NOTES:
- 'conquista' (conquering) is wrong, it should be 'conquesta'.
Si em dius adéu,
vull que el dia sigui net i clar,
que cap ocell
trenqui l'harmonia del seu cant.
Que tinguis sort
i que trobis el que t'ha mancat
en mi.
Si em dius "et vull",
que el sol faci el dia molt més llarg,
i així, robar
temps al temps d'un rellotge aturat.
Que tinguem sort,
que trobem tot el que ens va mancar
ahir.
I així pren tot el fruit que et pugui donar
el camí que, a poc a poc, escrius per a demà.
Què demà mancarà el fruit de cada pas;
per això, malgrat la boira, cal caminar.
Si véns amb mi,
no demanis un camí planer,
ni estels d'argent,
ni un demà ple de promeses, sols
un poc de sort,
i que la vida ens doni un camí