I have just found a video on You Tube that Vic put up a couple of years back – so thanks Vic. It shows Edorta, a friend of ours and professional cantautor singing what has become over the years something of a signature tune for us all on our Spanish language & Walking holidays and basque Cultural holidays here in the Pyrenees. This song is a folksong by Mikel Laboa: Gure Bazterrak. Melancholic and soul-searching it speaks of the mysterious misty valleys of the Pyrenees. As the nooks and crannies and details of the landscape disappear from view beneath swirls of mist so we are forced to turn in upon ourselves and explore the landscapes within. For me the melodies in the song and its introspective tone epitimise the sentiment I think we all feel here in the mountains, living by the seasons and exposed to the elements. There is something quitesintially Basque about the song and no house-party week, however jolly, is the same without this beautiful song paying homage to the landscapes around us and bringing us slowly back down to earth.
As an introduction to Basque, here are the words
Gure Bazterrak
Maite ditut, maite gure bazterrak lanbroak
izkutatzen dizkidanean
zer izkutatzen duen
ez didanean ikusten uzten
orduan hasten bainaiz izkutukoa
nere baitan bizten diren
bazter miresgarriak ikusten.
