Lost in Translation

I want to try something different today. This is the second post I write in english. I decided to do it on Shakespeare's languaje because I wanted to share some of my favorites latinoamerican poems with people who doesn´t speak spanish so they can enjoy it and maybe get interested on Latinoamerican literature. I'm not really fan of poetry, I prefer reading novels, but this post is dedicated to someone who was very important to me and who really loved poetry and show me some of the most beautiful poems I've ever heard. I also thought it was a great opportunity to practice my writting and improve my vocabulary.

If you found some mistakes and you want to correct me I will really appreciate it. Some of the poems I've found were already translated, I did my best on the others but I'm an amateur so I hope they still conserve their substance intact. I also include the original spanish version in case you wanna read it.

After the parties

And when everybody had gone

and just the two of us were left

among the empty glasses and dirty ashtrays,

how beautiful it was to know that you

were there like an oasis,

alone with me at the night edge,

and you were lasting, you were more than time

you were the one who stayed

because one same pillow

and one same warmth

were going to call us again

to wake up for a new day

toghether, laughing, with messy hair...

Julio Cortázar. (Original version here)

You told me.

You told me

you were not coming

for my birthday party

and you run away

across the backyard.

I stayed

stuck to the window

watching you,

watching how your pony tail

scared one by one

the flies of my thougths.

Jairo Anibal Niño. (Original version page 37 here)

I really like JAN's work and I couldn´t find any poem already traduced to english. They were written to children but I think they are so sweet and everyone can enjoy them. So I decided to include one more poem of him that I love:

On your Birthday

On your birthday

you received very expensive gifts,

one imported perfum,

one ring,

one gold pen,

one pair of skates,

one pair of Nike tennis

and one bike.

I just could give you

some antique box of tobacco colour

with a lot of seeds

of orange tree, pine, cedar, araucaria,

of bellísima, mahogany and yellow tree.

These seeds are patient

and they are waiting for their time and place.

I din´t have money to buy you expensive things

I just wanted to give you a forest.

Jairo Aníbal Niño. (Original version, page 25 here)

Wind on the Island.

The wind is a horse: hear how he runs

through the sea, through the sky.

He wants to take me: listen
how he roves the world to take me far away.
Hide me in your arms
just for this lonely night,while the rain breaks
against sea and earth
its innumerable mouth.
Listen how the wind calls me galloping
to take me far away.
With your brow on my brow,
with your mouth on my mouth,our bodies tied
to the love that consumes us,
let the wind pass without taking me away.
Let the wind rush crowned with foam,
let it call me and seek me
galloping into the shadow,
while I, sunk beneath your big eyes, just for this lonely night
I will rest, my love.

Pablo Neruda. (Original version here)

I'm going to sleep.

Teeth of flowers, cap of dew,

herbal hands.

You, my fine nurse,

lend me the earthen sheets

and the quilt of mosses.

“I’m going to sleep, my nurse,

lay me down to sleep.”

Place a light at the head of the bed,

a constellation,

whatever you like,

all are good. Dim it slightly.

Leave me be, listen to the buds sprout.

From above, a celestial foot rocks you.

And a bird draws a compass for you.

So you can forget. . . . Thank you.

Oh, one request!

If he calls again,

tell him not to insist,

that I have left.

Alfonsina Storni (Original version here)

Nameless

In the summer // En el verano

I pick butterflies // recojo mariposas

from the burning asphalt // del calcinante asfalto

and take them to die// y las llevo a morir

among flowers.// entre flores.

People who watch me// Quienes miran

judge me insane.// me juzgan loca.

In the meanwhile, I laugh. // Yo río, mientras tanto.

Antonia Mtz. Wolf

Pictures are from Garry Winogrand, Willy Ronis and Graciela Iturbide. I took the picture of the little girl running from http://pretty-ditty.blogspot.com.

I hope you enjoyed the poems as much as I did. I'm not really into poetry but I think I would like to read more now. It's hard to express myself using another language so I won´t write too much. I remember the first time I tried to speak english haha...I was not really clear I guess, but now I do so much better :). When I was living abroad I also tried to read only on english so I decided to

start with Lolita from Vladimir Nabokov, it took me more much time than regular but I finished it and I loved it! It has one of my favorite first lines ("Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo.Lee.Ta."). I can imagine everyone reading this saying: Lo.Lee.Ta in silence to prove the three steps path on the mouth. I must say this lines doesn´t have the same charm in spanish, most of histories lost some things on translation, it's almost impossible to get a reliable copy of the original, but translators tried their best and we can enjoy lot of histories from another countries. Same happens with subtitled movies...Would it be nice if we all speak the same language? I'm not sure, I would like to understand everything but we would lost lots of nice accents and beautiful words...hermosas palabras.

Greetings, Mariana :).