Anthology of Contemporary Latin-American Poetry (English, French, Portuguese and Spanish Edition)

by Dudley Fitts (Editor)

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Genres: Poetry

677 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 1976

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cuando de mí no quede sino un árbol,
cuando mis huesos se hayan esparcido
bajo la tierra madre;
cuando de tí no quede sino una rosa blanca
que se nutrió de aquello que tú fuiste.
Y haya zarpado ya con mil brisas distintas
el aliento del beso que hoy bebemos;
cuando ya nuestros nombres
sean sonidos sin eco
dormidos en la sombra de un sonido insondable;
tú seguirás viviendo en la belleza de la rosa,
como yo en el follaje del árbol
y nuestro amor en el murmullo de la brisa.

Escúchame!
Yo aspiro a que vivamos
en la palabra de los hombres.
Yo quiero perdurar junto contigo
en la savia profunda de la humanidad:
en la risa del niño,
en la paz de los hombres,
en el amor sin lágrimas.

Por eso,
como habremos de darnos a la rosa y al árbol,
a la tierra y al viento,
te pido que nos demos al futuro del mundo...

**

When nothing remains of me but a tree,
when my bones have been scattered
beneath our mother earth:
when nothing remains of you but a white rose
nourished by that which once you were:
when the breath of the kiss that we exchange today
has embarked upon a thousand different breezes:
when even our names have become
mere sounds without an echo
asleep in the shade of a fathomless sound:
then you will live on in the beauty of the rose,
and I in the rustling of the tree,
and our love in the murmur of the breeze.

Listen to me!
My wish for us is, to live
in the spoken words of men.
I would survive with you
in the deep lifestream of humanity:
in the laughter of children,
in the peace of mankind,
in love without weeping.

Therefore,
as we must give ourselves to the rose and the tree,
to the earth and the wind,
let us give ourselves, I beg you, to the future of the world.

(Miguel Otero Silva)

[Victoria & David Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

we have the 1942 New Directions edition