Lyrics from “Linda Borboleta” by Paulo da Portela and Monarco

Part 1- by Paulo da Portela
Beautiful butterfly, don’t be so mischievous
Leave my rose be, so lovely on the stem
It’s my delight, when dawn breaks, to pay her a visit
See her bathed in dew
When the sun comes it covers her with gold
A treasure in a poor man’s garden (2x)

Part 2 – by Monarco
Beautiful butterfly, please, leave my treasure of royal worth
This is the plea of a poor troubadour
Who finds inspiration in the rose to write songs of love
(refrain)

— Interpretation —

Paulo da Portela (June 18, 1901 – January 31, 1949) was one of the most important sambistas in the history of carioca samba. He was one of the founders of the Portela samba school in the 1920s, and was responsible for significantly reducing tensions between Rio’s largely Afro-Brazilian samba world and…