Poetry in translation/reading in other languages

[luka]

in a cigar review

 

[mixed_biscuits]

Here's the original

PIEDRAS ANTÁRTICAS
ALLÍ termina todo
y no termina:
allí comienza todo:
se despiden los ríos en el hielo,
el aire se ha casado con la nieve,
no hay calles ni caballos
y el único edificio
lo construyó la piedra.
Nadie habita el castillo
ni las almas perdidas
que frío y viento frío
amedrentaron:
es sola allí la soledad del mundo,
y por eso la piedra
se hizo música,
elevó sus delgadas estaturas,
se levantó para gritar o cantar,
pero se quedó muda.
Sólo el viento,
el látigo
del Polo Sur que silba,
sólo el vacío blanco
y un sonido de pájaro de lluvia
sobre el castillo de la soledad.

The Antarctic: weird place!
Nothing's there to greet the face
Neither streets nor horses nice
Only wind and lots of ice
The wind is cold the wind is biting
Then I chanced upon a sighting:
A stony building not manmade
A lapidary pasillade
That issued forth from natural wealth
A soundless tribute to itself
You wanna see it? Let's make tracks
It surely beats a TK Maxx

Bonus words: South Pole, void, music

 

[Benny Bunter]

translate him

Alfonso Cortés - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Quite nice but minor league romantic rhyming stuff unfortunately, you wouldn't like it.

 

[Corpsey]

"Cortés had moments of lucidity during which his family would unchain him and he would use that time to play guitar."

 

[woops]

that's a very condensed biography. early life starts at 34 went mad and dies at 75

 

[Benny Bunter]

Not that it's bad poetry, but I was hoping for something a bit more unhinged and interesting when I read that bio.