Corrido de Doñ Elena
Translation of version in first post.

1
Fernando the Frenchman bold,
so valiant and brave was he
who fought against the liberals
of Mexico, land of the free.
2
At the ranch of Doña Elena
he gave her his love sublime,
knowing full well that her husband
was gone because of a crime.
3
Doña Elena resisted
but then succumbed to his will;
Benito must be forsaken
else Fernando would do her ill.
4
Night after night they would meet
to enjoy each other's love;
they raised their voices in song
but were scorned by Heaven above.
5
One tempestuous afternoon
Benito to Jerez did ride
and there by the roadside waited
'till Don Fernando he spied.
6
Benito, with his pistol
and sixteen calibre gun,
fires four shots at Don Fernando
as he turns and tries to run.
7
The Frenchman, mortally wounded,
fell in a nearby ravine,
and Benito, still enraged,
to mount his swift steed was seen.
8
With his fury at its height
toward his native town he stole
and there by the iron door
tried to calm his troubled soul.
9
"Open the door, dear Elena,
without any fret or fear
for I, Fernando the Frenchman
from faraway France, am here."
10
"Who is that strange gentleman
who comes knocking at my door?
The accent can't be Fernando's
since he's just been here before."
11
"It is I, your don Fernando,
you must believe me, my dear.
I have come back to inform you
that we've been betrayed, it's clear."
12
"Listen to me, don Fernando,
though it matters not, you see,
you have a sweetheart in France
or you love someone more than me."
13
"I have no sweetheart in France
nor love I any but you.
Elena, I am your husband
and I tell you now, we're through."
14
"Forgive, dear husband, I beg,
forgive my thoughtless mistake,
if you won't do it for me,
do it for our children's sake."
15
When the door was finally opened
it put out the candle light,
and seizing her by the hands
he dragged her out into the night.
16
"Maid, to you I give my children,
to my parents they will go,
should they ask about Elena,
you'll tell them you do not know."
17
She was dressed in a white robe
and an angel seemed to be
that had fallen among flowers
to rest there eternally.
18
Alas! poor little Elena!
Alas! how cruel was her lot!
With three bullets from his pistol
his wife he cruelly shot.
19
Fernando, the Frenchman bold,
so valiant and brave was he,
who fought against the liberals
of Mexico, land of the free.

Terrence L. Hansen, "Corridos in Southern California," made a poetic translation, attempting "to conserve the origin meter and rhyme."

"Corrido de Doña Elena," "seems to be a modern version of the traditional ballad, "The Unfaithful Wife." The version "presented (here) seems to reflect considerable Mexican influence, it contains, nevertheless, many elements found in the Spanish romance."

The version here provided by Rafael Salas, Corona, California.

Brief musical score from Mendoza, "Cinquenta Corridos Mexicanos," 1939, no. 104, p. 339 (not seen; reproduced on p. 205 of this article).

Terrence L. Hansen, 1959, "Corridos in Southern California," Western Folklore, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 205-207.

The song is also sung in northern New Mexico-southern Colorado; a version from Chimayó, New Mexico, will be posted next.