Mariposa Lyrics English Translation by Fiorella Mannoia
I am the witch atop the pyre,
A butterfly with a rifle in grip,
A queen without a throne,
A crown of orange and thorns.
I am a flame amidst the sea’s waves,
A bride above the altar,
A cry in the silence that drifts into the universe,
I am the courage that births the world,
I am a mirror that has shattered,
I am love, a song, the body,
A dress too short,
A craving, a desire,
I am the curtains of a stage,
A city, an empire,
Half of me is the whole.
Ahia-ia-ia-ia-ia-iai
Ahia-ia-ia-ia-ia-iai
They call me by all names,
All those given to me,
And deep down I am free, proud, and I sing.
I’ve lived in a diary, in a poem, and then in a field,
Loved in a brothel and lied more than you know,
I am truthful, I am a liar,
I am fickle, I am stubborn,
The illusion that enchants you,
The answer and the question,
I am fashion, love, and pride,
I am a madonna and the weeping,
I am wonder and amazement,
I am denial and orgasm,
Hidden behind a veil,
Deep as a mystery,
I am the earth, I am the sky,
Worth gold and less than zero.
Ahia-ia-ia-ia-ia-iai
Ahia-ia-ia-ia-ia-iai
They call me by all names,
All those given to me,
And even in the darkness, I am free, proud, and I sing.
I have been yours and everyone’s, nobody’s and no one else’s,
With shoes and barefoot,
In the desert and also in the mud,
One, none, a hundred thousand,
Mother, daughter, new moon, sister,
My friend, I give you my word.
Ahia-ia-ia-ia-ia-iai
Ahia-ia-ia-ia-ia-iai
They call me by all names,
All those given to me,
But deep down, I am free, proud, and I sing.
They call me by all names,
All those given to me,
And forever I shall be free, and proud I sing.