Inside or Outside / Adentro o afuera, and: The Buses of Montevideo / Los ómnibus de Montevideo, and: Brilliant Fish / Peces brillantes

This special bilingual feature by Jesse Lee Kercheval is a departure for us, but we agreed with the author that for those with both languages this would be a study not so much in translation but in the dynamic of language variation and nuance that these versions of the poet’s imagination offer us. We hope you will enjoy this feature.

Kwame Dawes

Inside or Outside

to Eduardo Milán

What is important is to be, inside or outsidethis nest filled with books, what is important is to be.When being was being happy, lightwas a bird, light had wings. Now thereis not the same singing. The bird flies and fliesbut does not find familiar ground. Snow falls.The sun goes down behind the trees. Night falls.Inside or outside. What is important is to be.

Adentro o afuera

a Eduardo Milán

Lo importante es ser, adentro o afuerade este nido lleno de libros, lo importante es ser.Cuando existiendo fui siendo feliz, la luzera un pájaro, la luz tenía alas. Ahora yano es el mismo canto. El pájaro vuela y vuelapero no encuentra el terreno familiar. Cae la nieve.El sol desciende detrás de los árboles. Cae la noche.Adentro o afuera. Lo importante es ser.

The Buses of Montevideo

I love the buses of Montevideo.Their numbers sing to me121, 60, 182, 14as they pass my house,as they pick me up & carry melike the currents of the Rio de la Platato new parts of the city.

I love the buses of Montevideo.Well, not on a hot daywhen I am waiting in the sunon Calle Buenos Aires in the Cuidad Viejawith a hundred other peopleall with our eyes on three bus stops at once& everyone askingDoes the 121 stop here? There?& no one really knows.

Not on a rainy morningwhen I stand on Avenida Brasil& the buses are so fullthey pass me by, not stopping for anyone.Not on a cold morningwith wind from the southwhen I wait & wait until I am late& then four 121sarrive at the same moment,nose to tail like baby elephants.

But I love the buseswhen they arrive on no timetable,after only a short wait,so each one is a gift, each one is a lucky day,then they carry me just where I want to go,even if I did not knowI wanted to go there.Each new bus a new city,a new country,each bus opening the world to me.

I love the buses of Montevideobecause each bus has its singersplaying their rickety guitarsor women selling socksor men who smear their white shirtswith the blackest greaseto demonstratethe amazing cleaning fluidthat removes any stain.The old man who recitesgaucho poetry. The blind womanwho sings Carlos Gardel.At the end, the passengers clap& reach for change to givethese fellow workerswho pass down the aislenodding thanks to each of us,then the ticket seller& the driver as they leave the bus.

I love that each driver chooseshis own radio station, opera,cumbia, oldies rock, soccerwhen Peñarol is playing.Love the buses in the springwhen the jacarandas are in bloomor summer when everyonewears t-shirts and flip-flops& any season when the people on the bus are the same peopleI see every morning & we nodto one anotheracknowledging the startof a new day.

I love the buses of MontevideoI fall asleep dreamingI am on the 121as it swings hard onto 18 de Julioor speeds down the Ramblathe beach outside the window.I hold on to a pole& we are flying.

Los ómnibus de Montevideo

Me encantan los ómnibus de Montevideo.Su números cantan para mí121, 60, 182, 14cuando pasan por...