“Yo cumplo mi encuentro con La Vida” / “I keep Life’s rendezvous”: Poemas para Viernes Santo / Good Friday poems: Countee Cullen
Posted: March 29, 2013 Filed under: Countee Cullen, English, Spanish, ZP Translator: Alexander Best | Tags: Black poets, Good Friday poems, Poemas para Viernes Santo, Poetas negros Comments Off on “Yo cumplo mi encuentro con La Vida” / “I keep Life’s rendezvous”: Poemas para Viernes Santo / Good Friday poems: Countee Cullen
Countee Cullen (Poeta negro del “Renacimiento de Harlem”, E.E.U.U., 1903-1946)
“Habla Simón de Cirene”
.
Nunca me habló ninguna palabra
pero me llamó por mi nombre;
No me habló por señas,
y aún entendí y vine.
.
Al princípio dije, “No cargaré
sobre mi espalda Su cruz;
Sólo procura colocarla allá
porque es negra mi piel.”
.
Pero Él moría por un sueño,
Y Él estuvo muy dócil,
Y en Sus ojos hubo un resplandor
que los hombres viajarán lejos para buscar.
.
Él – el mismo – ganó mi piedad;
Yo hice solamente por Cristo
Lo que todo el Imperio romano no pudo forjar en mí
con moretón de látigo o de piedra.
. . .
Countee Cullen (1903-1946)
“Simon the Cyrenian Speaks”
.
He never spoke a word to me,
And yet He called my name;
He never gave a sign to me,
And yet I knew and came.
At first I said, “I will not bear
His cross upon my back;
He only seeks to place it there
Because my skin is black.”
But He was dying for a dream,
And He was very meek,
And in His eyes there shone a gleam
Men journey far to seek.
It was Himself my pity bought;
I did for Christ alone
What all of Rome could not have wrought
With bruise of lash or stone.
.
Luke 23:26
“And as they led Him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country,
and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus”.
. . .
“Tengo un encuentro con La Vida”
.
Tengo un encuentro con La Vida,
durante los días que pasen,
antes de que pasen como un bólido mi juventud y mi fuerza de mente,
antes de que las dulces voces se vuelvan mudas.
.
Tengo un ‘rendez-vous’ con Esta Vida.
cuando canturrean los primeros heraldos de la Primavera.
Por seguro hay gente que gritaría que sea tanto mejor
coronar los días con reposo en vez de
enfrentar el camino, el viento, la lluvia
– para poner oídos al llamado profundo.
.
No tengo miedo ni de la lluvia, del viento, ni del camino abierto,
pero aún tengo, ay, tan mucho miedo, también,
por temor de que La Muerte me conozca y me requiera antes de que
yo cumpla mi ‘rendez-vous’ con La Vida.
. . .
“I have a rendezvous with Life”
.
I have a rendezvous with Life,
In days I hope will come,
Ere youth has sped, and strength of mind,
Ere voices sweet grow dumb.
I have a rendezvous with Life,
When Spring’s first heralds hum.
Sure some would cry it’s better far
To crown their days with sleep
Than face the road, the wind and rain,
To heed the calling deep.
Though wet nor blow nor space I fear,
Yet fear I deeply, too,
Lest Death should meet and claim me ere
I keep Life’s rendezvous.
. . .
Countee Cullen produced most of his famous poems between 1923 and 1929; he was at the top of his form from the end of his teens through his 20s – very early for a good poet.
His poems “Heritage”, “Yet Do I Marvel”, “The Ballad of the Brown Girl”, and “The Black Christ” are classics of The Harlem Renaissance. We feature here two of Cullen’s lesser-known poems
– including Spanish translations.
. . . . .
Traducciones del inglés al español: Alexander Best
Ataulfo Alves: “In a masquerade of Joy I hid my Sadness…”
Posted: February 20, 2012 Filed under: Ataulfo Alves, English, Portuguese, Translator's Whimsy: Song Lyrics / Extravagancia del traductor: Letras de canciones traducidas por Alexander Best, ZP Translator: Alexander Best | Tags: Black poets, Poetas negros Comments Off on Ataulfo Alves: “In a masquerade of Joy I hid my Sadness…”Ataulfo Alves (Sambista brasileiro, 1906-1969)
“Ilusão de carnaval”
.
Mascarado de alegria
Escondi minha tristeza
Terminada a folia
Sou mais triste com certeza
Ilusão de carnaval
Enganei somente a mim
Sem pensar que afinal
Carnaval também tem fim.
*
Ataulfo Alves
(Brazilian Samba composer, 1906-1969)
“Carnival Illusion”
.
In a masquerade of Joy
I hid my Sadness.
Revelry done,
More sad than ever
Am I…
.
You Illusion – oh Carnival !
I merely tricked myself
Without thinking that,
After all,
Carnival too comes to an end.
.
Translation from Portuguese:
Alexander Best