From Hoy: CIV
- From Hoy:CIV
En los regresos del error hay miedo todavía. ¿Cada furiaera un rayo que juntaba mundos? ¿Cada peligro era regarla fronda donde iban a cantar jilgueros próximos? Losdías divididos no saben contar. La multiplicación de laspreguntas corta plumas lunares / hay gorriones queprefieren el fuego / vientos blancos / vergüenzas deverdad. La poesía no sabe holgar sobre el abismo y nadiepuede separarla de lo que es pero no es. Abajo hayciencias naturales, ansias, números de la muerte, la secaatroz que vino. [End Page 136]
From Today: CIV
In the recurrence of the error, fear prevails. Was each furya lightning bolt conjoining worlds? Was every dangerpresent in the watering of fronds where newborn fincheswould come to sing? Divided days lose their count. Themultiplication of questions trims lunar plumes / somesparrows prefer the fire / whitened winds / genuineshame. Poetry doesn’t know how to hover leisurely overthe chasm and no one can cleave it from what it is but isn’t.Lying below, natural science, desire, death’s numbers,the horrendous drought that ensued. [End Page 137]
The recipient of numerous prizes, including the prestigious Premio Cervantes, the Argentine poet juan gelman (1930–2014) spent much of his life in exile, working as a journalist and a translator in Spain, France, Italy, and Mexico and publishing more than twenty books.
lisa rose bradford teaches comparative literature at the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, in Argentina. Four of her bilingual volumes of Juan Gelman’s poetry have appeared since 2010. She is currently translating Gelman’s last book, Hoy.
