Sunday, February 20, 2011

Oda a la Alegria

I'm slowly working my way through Pablo Neruda's "Odas Elementales", which celebrate the wonders of life -from happiness to onions- in a really cool way. Plus, his poem about bread makes me feel revolutionary ("No tiene alas/ la victoria terrestre:/ tiene pan en sus hombros"). I told this to Sonia, a Czech volunteer here, and she responded "Well of course, he was communist, right?"

I guess sometimes the populist stuff does get a little heavy (it sounds much more dramatic in Spanish!), but I guess I really like that stuff too.

This is one of my favorites so far that I translated, since I haven't been able to find any translation. Plus, this way I got to try and keep the poem the way I read it.


Oda a la Alegria (Ode to Happiness)

Happiness,
a green leaf
fallen on a window,
a tiny
feeling clarity
recently born,
sonorous elephant,
dazzling
coin,
sometimes
a brittle gust of wind,
but
better said
bread on the table,
hopes come true,
obligations accomplished.
I looked down on you, happiness.
I was advised badly.
The moon
took me along its paths.
The old poets
lent me their glasses
and over every thing
I put
a dark nimbus,
over the flower a black crown,
over the loved mouth
a sad kiss.
It's still early.
Let me repent.
I thought that only
if my heart
was burned
by the brambles of torment,
if the rain soaked
my clothes
in mourning,
if I closed
my eyes to the rose
and touched my injuries,
I would help people.
I was not just.
I made mistakes in my steps
and today I call you, happiness.

Like the earth,
you are
necessary.

Like fire
you sustain
our houses.

Like bread,
you are pure.

Like the water of a river,
you are sonorous.

Like a bee,
you share your honey while flying.

Happiness,
I was a taciturn young man,
I found your long hair
scandalous.

It wasn't true, I found out
when in my chest
your waterfall was untied.

Today, happiness,
found in the street,
far from any book,
accompany me:

with you
I want to go from house to house,
I want to go from town to town,
from flag to flag.
You're not just for me.
We will go to the islands,
to the seas.
We will go to the mines,
to the forests.
Not just solitary wood-cutters,
poor clothes washers,
or bristling, august
stone workers,
will receive me with your fruits,
but also the congregations,
the meetings,
the unions of sea and wood,
the young men
fighting for you.

With you towards the world!
With my song!
With the twinkling flight
of the stars,
and with the delight
of ocean's foam!

I'm going to work for everyone
because I owe
to everyone my happiness.

No one is surprised that I want
to give to people
the gifts of the earth,
because I learned through fighting
that it's my terrestrial obligation
to propagate happiness.
And I fulfill that destiny with my song.


Spanish version.

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