Stings like salty tears I've cried

[sovay]

Last week, Viking Zen gave me a book of the selected poems of Jorge Luis Borges. I had only read his prose before. I may love him more as a poet. This one is from his collection El otro, el mismo (1964). I choose it as something to dream to. The same to you, if so you like.

El mar (The Sea)

Antes que el sueño (o el terror) tejiera
Mitologías y cosmogonías,
Antes que el tiempo se acuñara en días,
El mar, el siempre mar, ya estaba y era.
¿Quién es el mar? ¿Quién es aquel violento
Y antiguo ser que roe los pilares
De la tierra y es uno y muchos mares
Y abismo y resplandor y azar y viento?
Quien lo mira lo ve por vez primera.
Siempre. Con el asombro que las cosas
Elementales dejan, las hermosas
Tardes, la luna, el fuego de una hoguera.
¿Quién es el mar, quién soy? Lo sabré el día
Ulterior que sucede a la agonía.

Before dreaming (or terror) wove
mythologies and cosmogonies,
before time minted itself into days,
the sea, the always sea, was there and was.
Who is the sea? Who is that one, violent
and ancient, who gnaws at the pillars
of the earth and is one sea and many
and abyss and splendor and chance and wind?
Who looks on the sea sees it for the first time.
Always. With the awe that elemental
things leave behind, beautiful
late afternoons, the moon, a bonfire's flame.
Who is the sea, who am I? On the day
that follows the last agony, I will know.

Comments

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

Beautiful. Dream well.

Nine

[gwynnega]

Borges is an awesome poet. Reading that poem just now compelled me to find my copy of his selected poems which, even though I haven't read it in years, I was able to find instantly on my shelves.

[twa-in-yin.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I love Borges's stories, but I think his poems are even better.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

This actually brought tears to my eyes, because of the last statement.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

That's wonderful: "and abyss and splendor and chance and wind", that's the sea all right!

[seishonagon.livejournal.com]

Borges has been one of my favorite poets ever since a friend loaned me a book of his poems when I was in high school.

He makes me want to learn Spanish, just so I can read his work in its orignal.

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

My Spanish comes creaking in on limbs like reeds after winter to thank you for posting that.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

That's lovely. Your own translation, I take it?
I wish I had enough Spanish to evaluate it as a translation, but it works very well as itself.

I hope you've dreamt well, and dream well tonight, also.

[vikingzen.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

Tell you what: you hook me up with that humentash recipe and we'll call it even... I am so very happy that you are enjoying Borges. Your translation is beautiful.
I always loved Borges' work (I credit his poem Shinto with preserving most of my sanity) and was intrigued by the man himself: the blind librarian from Buenos Aires who wrote about labyrinths. Plus, you both share a passion for words, history, myth, and literature; it just felt like I had to "introduce" two dear friends.
Besides, it's part of my elaborate plot to get you from Spanish to read Portuguese... Machado de Assis awaits, as does the poet Vinicius de Moraes...

[clarionj.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this. I think I've read more of his poems than prose (but not enough of either) and someone here mentioned his essays--which I now want to read.

*happy sighs*