Most people don't know that Ipanema is a suburb or Rio de Janeiro. It meets the sea at a lovely beach. I used to hang out at that beach when I was a young teen. My buddy and I would watch and wait for a beautiful young woman who, clad in a leopardskin bikini, would arrive each afternoon. She would plant her beach umbrella in the sand and spread her towel then lie upon it and read a book. This song takes me there every time. So does the movie, "Summer of 42".

This is as good as I could do on the translation:

Olha que coisa mais linda
Look at that pretty thing
Mais cheia de graça
So filled with grace
É ela menina
It is that girl
Que vem e que passa
Who comes and passes by,
Num doce balanço, a caminho do mar
In a sweet balance, (her way of walking) to the road by the sea
Moça do corpo dourado
The golden girl
Do sol de Ipanema
Of the sun at Ipanema
O seu balançado é mais que um poema
Oh her way of walking is so like a poem
É a coisa mais linda que eu já vi passar
It is the most beautiful thing I have yet see pass by

Ah, porque estou tão sozinho
Ah, why am I so alone
Ah, porque tudo é tão triste
Ah, why is everything so sad
Ah, a beleza que existe
Ah, the beauty that is
A beleza que não é só minha
The beauty which is not my own
Que também passa sozinha
That passes by alone as well

Ah, se ela soubesse
Ah, if she knew
Que quando ela passa
That when she passes
O mundo sorrindo se enche de graça
The smiling world is filled with grace
E fica mais lindo Por causa do amor
It remains more beautiful because of love