Pau Casals a l'ONU: "I am a Catalan"

THE WORDS OF PAU CASALS AT THE UNO
October 24, 1971
This is the greatest honour of my life.
Peace has always been my greatest concern. I learnt to love it when I was but a child. When I was a boy, my mother —an exceptional, marvellous woman—, would talk to me about peace, because at that time there were also many wars.
What is more, I am a Catalan. Today, a province of Spain. But what has been Catalonia? Catalonia has been the greatest nation in the world. I will tell you why. Catalonia has had the first parliament, much before England. Catalonia had the first United Nations. All the authorities of Catalonia in the Eleventh Century met in a city of France, at that time Catalonia, to speak about peace, at the Eleventh Century. Peace in the world and against, against, against war, the inhumanity of the wars. So I am so happy, so happy, to be with you today. That is why the United Nations, which works solely towards the peace ideal, is in my heart, because anything to do with peace goes straight to my heart.
I have not played the cello in public for many years, but I feel that the time has come to play again. I am going to play a melody from Catalan folklore: El cant dels ocells. Birds sing when they are in the sky, they sing: "Peace, Peace, Peace", and it is a melody that Bach, Beethoven and all the greats would have admired and loved. What is more, it is born in the soul of my people, Catalonia.

Totes les cançons de Simon & Garfunkel

Les cançons són una manera directa i lúdica que ajuden a agafar la pronúncia i a aprendre vocabulari i maneres de dir les coses en qualsevol llengua. Si a més de la lletra, disposem d'imatge i so, l'ajuda pot ser espectacular.
Podeu buscar a Yoy Tube una cançó que us agradi, escrivint el títol. Després, aneu a la pàgina que conté totes les cançons de Simon & Garfunkel i trieu la mateixa cançó:
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/s/simon+and+garfunkel/
Un bon exercici per fer treballar la vista, l'oida i la comprensió, que podeu fer amb qualsevol artista o grup que us plagui. A www.lyricsfreak.com en trobareu a gavadals.

Wednesday Morning, 3 AM

I can hear the soft breathing
Of the girl that I love,
As she lies here beside me
Asleep with the night,
And her hair, in a fine mist
Floats on my pillow,
Reflecting the glow
Of the winter moonlight.

She is soft, she is warm,
But my heart remains heavy,
And I watch as her breasts
Gently rise, gently fall,
For I know with the first light of dawn
I'll be leaving,
And tonight will be
All I have left to recall.

Oh, what have I done,
Why have I done it,
I've committed a crime,
I've broken the law.
For twenty-five dollars
And pieces of silver,
I held up and robbed
A hard liquor store.

My life seems unreal,
My crime an illusion,
A scene badly written
In which I must play.
Yet I know as I gaze
At my young love beside me,
The morning is just a few hours away.

Welcome / Benvinguts

William Shakespeare

El propòsit d'aquest bloc és el de reunir eines i recursos que fan possible la millora del nivell de llengua anglesa.
Aquesta eina col·laborativa vol servir per aprendre i millorar l'anglès des de l'òptica i la mentalitat catalana. Les coincidències, els falsos amics, els ponts, els lligams, les afinitats i relacions entre els Països Catalans i el món anglosaxó hi seran presents en tot moment.
El títol de l'espai és, a la vegada, llegible en català i en anglès però amb significats diferents. L'anglès i el català permeten aquests jocs de paraules.
Per començar a entrar en matèria, us presentem una pàgina de la BBC, plena de possibilitats. Trieu i remeneu:
BBC Learning English