Ulalume González de León
Poems from Plagios
Translated by Terry Ehret, John Johnson, and Nancy J. Morales
Reconciliaciones
No podemos tocar ni los sueños ni la vida
pero la mano que se alarga hacia los sueños
y la mano que se alarga hacia la vida
tocan ambas un solo centro
más cierto que tocar or creer que tocamos
no podemos asir lo que amamos
pero la mano que se tiende para asirlo
y la mano que sabe y retrocede
se juntan en el único ademán possible
un asir simultáneo de soltaruna ola
que urde mientras rompe su proprio nacimiento
no podemos decirnosporque somos
todo lo que decimos todo lo que callamos
pero lo mano que escribe palabras
y la mano que borra palabras
pactan aquíse dan la mano
Reconciliations
We can touch neither dreams nor life
but the hand that reaches toward dreams
and the hand that reaches toward life
touch a single center
more certain than touching or believing we touch
we can’t hold onto what we love
but the hand that rises to hold it
and the hand that knows and falls back
come together in the only gesture possible
a graspingsimultaneously releasinga wave
that conceives its own birth as it breaks
we cannot tell ourselvesbecause we are
everything we sayeverything we silence
but the hand that writes words
and the hand that erases words
join herehand in hand.
***
Yo Es Tú
no sé
cuando estoy sola
cuál de los dos no está
ni si alargo hacia ti o hacia mí los brazos
I Is You
I don’t know
when I’m alone
which of us is not here
nor whether I reach
toward you or toward me
my arms
***
Poème Simultané
Ahora
las manos
las palabras
dicen un solo asunto de piel y pensamiento:
no puedo traducirlo
a una sola de esas dos lenguas
Simultaneous Poem
now
hands
words
speak only of an affair of skin and thought:
I can’t translate it
into just one of those two tongues
***
La Mort Des Amants
tán solubles
el uno en el otro
que en un abrazo
desaparecieron
The Death Of Lovers
so soluble
one in the other
that in one embrace
they disappeared
***
Piel
en la intersección
tumetume
devoz queinunda yvoz queenvuelve
mite mite
se forma esta piel
la piel que no separa
que no tiene lado y aquel lado
la de ósmosis felices—sin aduanas
Skin
at the intersection
yourmeyourme
ofvoice that floodsandvoice that envelopes
myyoumyyou
forms this skin
skin that doesn’t divide
that has no side here and no side over there
skin of happy osmosis—without borders
***
El Camino Más Largo Más Corto
para decirtepara tocarte
doy un rodeo
para que el pensamiento para que el cuerpo sea
sea primero cuerpoprimero pensamiento
The Longest Shortest Way
to tell you to touch you
I take a round-about way
so that thought so that body may be
may be first bodyfirst thought
Terry Ehret, one of the founders of Sixteen Rivers Press, has published four collections of poetry, most recently Night Sky Journey, from Kelly’s Cove Press. Literary awards include the National Poetry Series, California Book Award, Pablo Neruda Poetry Prize, a nomination for the Northern California Book Award, and five Pushcart Prize nominations. From 2004-2006, she served as the poet laureate of Sonoma County where she lives and teaches writing.
John Johnson’s work has appeared in many print and online journals, including BOXCAR Poetry Review, Clade Song, Triggerfish Critical Review, and Web Conjunctions. He has studied Spanish language and literature and letterpress printing with Iota Press of Sebastopol, producing chapbooks and bilingual broadsides.
Nancy J. Morales, a first-generation American of Puerto Rican parents, earned her Bachelor’s degree from Rutgers College, Master's in teaching English as a Second Language from Adelphi University, and Doctorate in Education from Teachers College at Columbia University. She has taught at Dominican University and College of Marin, California State University, Sonoma, and other schools, from elementary to graduate levels. She is a board member for the Northern California Chapter of the Fulbright Alumni Association, and teaches Spanish to private clients.
— posted August 2016
PROGRAMS