Rosa de Hiroshima: an atomic anti-rose
“With no colour, no perfume, no rose, nothing” — Vinicius de Moraes
Turned into a song by the guitarist Gerson Conrad, Vinicius de Moraes’ poem “Rosa de Hiroshima” (Hiroshima’s Rose) was recorded in 1973 for Secos e Molhados’ first album. In this song, the remarkable timbre of Ney Matogrosso cries over the victims of Hiroshima’s atomic bombing, during the final days of World War II, on August 6th back in 1945, 73 years ago.
The iconic picture of the bombing at the end of the war appears to be a flower blooming. However, unlike the common roses, Hiroshima’s one does not bring us beauty or perfume: it brings death, invalidity and genetic alterations due to the radioactivity. Atomic, the rose is actually an anti-rose with no scent, no color and nothing good at all.
Vinicius’ lyrics invite us to reflection: think of the children, of the women, of the wounds. How many life’s routes did the nuclear bombing change? Almost 3/4 of a century later, it is important not to forget the Hiroshima’s rose.
In the following video, you can see Ney Matogrosso’s interpretation of the song, in 2007. If you want to hear the original version too, click here.
Para ler a versão em português, clique aqui.
