The speaker feels an impassioned milonga song and a sly wind. They question why this puma sings with smiles, as if it is paying homage to the stone with its bloody mouth from the wound of its song. The puma's milonga song is seen as a mask, as the puma sings inwardly and plays its salt strings. The milonga is tattooed with the herbs of sorrow. The puma comes from the saltpeter lands, from its foggy bell mother and the rounded stone, laid bare to see its insides and absence. The puma knows how to disguise its tracks as it heals and undresses from coming.
1. Bordona
Pasa Niebla con el pelo suelto
(“por la cruz yo te digo, juan, la copa, y en su nombre me espejo lo
“enyescado, lo sentido del vaso, Juan, qué pasa, quién vihuela sol-
“tada de humo santo, esta casa de sal, la noche mía, esta noche
aca-
“bada sin regazo, niebla pasa de costa enfueguecida, de palacio
que-
“mado son sus pájaros, de alma suelta se viene, dobla el viento o la
“esquina del viento enoverado, pasa suelta de sienes,
pensamientos,
“hoguerones del éxtasis llorando, se le vuelan las niñas de los ojos,
“el plumaje azafrán, lo perfumado, se le vuelan los ayes de la boca,
“abejones sonrojos son sus brazos, se le vuela la noche amarillada
“de la niebla de dios, dobla el quebranto de la calle de mí, juan, va
“soltada, ni sin carne ni huesos, va volando, suelta suelta, cortada
“de la niebla, con su pelo de niebla bor-
“doneado, juan, la noche, la copa, el
entre-
“vero redondito del trago en desamparo,
“niebla pasa, la suelta de humaredas,
des-
“humada del tiempo, de lo amargo,
suelta
“de humo, de antigua caballera de la
nie-
“bla pintada en los piedrajos, juan, la
“niebla que pasa desatada, suelta de
agua
“y de sangre, mi costado siente su aire
“latiendo la sal negra de su
fl
auta, ya,
“juan, campana, canto, cencerrura del
cielo
“tan soltada de mujer de la niebla, juan,
“el vaso, pasa suelta de diosa, puma suel-
“ta, cachorrita del monte, ojo rasgado,
juan
“la niebla sueltísima de nuncas, niebla
jo-
“ven, nieblor ensusurrando, doledor
quedo,
“ven, de eternidades, yo le adoro la vida
“seinto pasos…”
2. Bass Drone
Fog passes with its hair down
(“by the cross, I tell you, juan, the cup, and in its name I mirror the
inkind-
“led, what is sensed in the glass, Juan, what comes to pass, who the
vihuela sun-
“dered from holy smoke, this house of salt, mine night, this night s-
“mothered bosomless, fog passes from the in
fi
reated shore, from a
“scorched palace its birds, it trails from a sundered soul, it turns the
“wind or corner of inpintoed wind, sundered from temples, thoughts,
“stake
fi
res of ecstacy wailing, the little pupils
fl
y free of its eyes,
“sa
ff
ron plumes, the whole perfumation, ohs
fl
y free of its mouth,
“its arms are blushing drone bees, the yellowed night
fl
ies free of
“god’s fog, the breakfree of my street turns away, juan, leaves sund-
“ered, not
fl
eshless or boneless,
fl
ies o
ff
, sunundered, broken away
“from the fog, with its mane of fog dr-
“oning on, juan, the night, the cup,
roun-
“d muddle of the drink in abandonment,
“fog passes, sunder of smokeclouds,
smo-
“ked out of time, of bitterness, sundered
“from smoke, from the ancient fog cava-
“lieress painted on tornstones, juan, the
“fog that passes untied, sundered from
“stoneshard, blood, my side senses its air
“beating the black salt from its
fl
ute,
now,
“juan, the bell, song, clanging of the sky
“so sundered from the fog woman, juan,
“glass, passes sundered from godess,
puma-
“sundered, mountain pup, slit eyes, juan
“the fog so sundered from nevers, fog
you-
“nger, fogtremor inmurmuring, painer I
re-
“main, juan, of eternities, I adore its life, I
“sense passing …”
3. Bordona
Pasa Niebla con el pelo recogido
(“cuando el agua pitral tañe en mi mesa, cuando el trago jagüel me des-
“cuajala, cuando, juan, pasa ella, pasa niebla, la de niebla que pasa ensi-
“pensada, con su luz recogida como de oro, con su pelo cerrado sin su
dan-
“za, cuando el signo quemado en la madera, las señales del cielo nos
enla-
“zan, cuando, juan, pasa noche, pasa frente, pasa ojos del mundo en las
mira-
“das, pasa trémolo negro, pasa luna, cuando, juan, juan, qué trago, juan,
qué
“brasa de la niebla de pasos nieblositos, cuando de humo me toca, pobre
“espalda, pobre pecho, costado, costadura, pobre estambre del hombre,
niebla
“pasa, cuando, juan, canta el aire, pobre el sueño, los tes
tí
culos, niebla,
fl
o-
“res,
fl
autas, cuando yesca, pitral, cuando pulpero, cuando cuando
señora, la
“guitarra, mi señora, la boca, luz del labio, juan, la mano ceniza cuando
ras-
“ga su rasguido de niebla, cuando
“tona la tonada del hueso, enhechi-
“zada, juan, qué yema, sonrisa,
sonri-
“sura, mordejón en su cuello, qué
guir-
“nalda, cuando dobla la calle,
tremoli-
“ta, oh trompetas de niebla y
oscuran-
“zas, juan, y cuando me mira
delgadísi-
“ma,
fi
na, huyente, liviana,
empalomada,
“el madero lujea, chisporrota, la
made-
“ra, la mesa que me estalla, cuando
roza
“la cruz de tus es
ti
los, cuando cruza
“tus piedras la ennieblada, cuando,
juan,
“pasa, sube, baja, vuelve y se va de
trina-
“je y adioslarga, cuando llora la
noche
“su himenura, yesca yesca, pitral, la
en-
5. Bass Drone
Fog passes with its hair
ti
ed
(“when the pitral water tolls on my table, when one waterhole sip
dis-
“mantles me, when, juan, she passes, the fog passes, the fogged
one in-
“thought-of, with her light culled as if gold, with her long hair locked
“danceless, when the woodburnt sign, when all the signs in the sky
inter-
“twine us, when, juan, passes night, passes forehead, passes eyes of
the wor-
“ld, passes black tremolo, passes moon, when, juan, juan, what
drink, juan,
“what fog ember in li
tt
le fogful steps, when like smoke it touches
me, poor
“back, poor chest, side, sideseam, poor stamen of man, the fog
pass-
“es, when, juan, the air sings, the dream poor, the tes
ti
cles, the fog,
the
fl
o-
“wers,
fl
utes, when kindling, pitral, when counterman, when when
señora,
“the guitar, my señora, the mouth, liplight, juan, the hand ash when
it st-
“rums its fog strum, when it tu-
“nes its bonessong, ensorcelled,
“juan, what yolk, smile, wide sm-
“ilng, bitemarked neck, what gar-
“land, when it street-turns,
fl
i
tt
er,
“oh trumpets of fog and darkings,
“juan, when it sees me emaciated,
“
fi
ne,
fl
eet, light, dovetailed, the wo-
“od lusterlights, sparksplits, wood,
“table sha
tt
ering me, when it grazes
“your cross of styles, when the fog-
“ful crosses your stones, when, juan, it
“passes, rises, falls, comes, goes, ulul-
“a
ti
ng and farewellingout, when night
“wails hymenal, kinkindle,
fl
aming-
“o, foggedover, when, juan, the drink
“sings, when the fogged coos, oh kin-
“dling, oh orrange!...”)
6. Bordona
“—Vamos al Jardín Colorado…”
--“El Jardín Colorado!...Donsde esta el Jardín Colorado? …
No me contestó el jinete…
(Soñando)
(eras vos el que ibas a caballo por las briznas soñadas por mis ojos,
que subías la loma piedrosilla, eras vos el jinete pedregoso, entre
árboles
vivos te soñaba, el rebenque de dios como un demonio, que caía
caía
sobre el
fl
anco encarnado en la
ti
erra, solosolo vos subías las
piedras
ensoñadas, cabalgabas las piedras ya de hinojos, eras vos el caballo,
la
fi
ebrura del caballo llévandote precioso, el jardín colorado dónde
estaba,
dónde está con su sangre de algarrobo, penachón escarlata, dónde
quema
su temblura machita, temblor moro, y su puerta de piedra
enrunrunada, dónde
queda el jardín del quiscaloro, dónde el mapu cobrizo, la cintura
colorada
del aura de los mostos de la piedra libada por los indios, de la pie-
dra del vino entre matojos, de la peña remota,
movediza, que se mueve entre chivos, chanas,
loros, dónde estaba el jardín, la remotura, dónde
vive la
fl
or del abandono, dónde muere el jardín
del saladino, dónde queda, jinete, el hueso de
oro, el que iba silbando milonguras, eras vos
entre viejos recelosos, entre dulces aleros man-
chaditos, entre ollones de
fi
erro, entre manojos,
entre lámpagos, piches, cascarones, dónde late el
jardín, los ramos hondos, la raíz del chenchén,
del marimari y del ñancupurrún quieren mis ojos,
l jardín co orado quiere mi ánima, eras vos, ibas
vos, salobr noso, dónde queda el jardín, dónde
fl
amea, dónde canta su sien, ay, pecho rojo?!...)
7. Bass Drone
“—Let’s go to Jardín Colorado…”
--“Jardín Colorado!...where is Jardín Colorado? …
The rider didn’t answer…
(Dreamed)
(“it was you who rode horseback through wisps my eyes dreamed,
“who climbed the purpleroan mound, you the rockrider, in living
“trees I dreamed you, god’s whip like a demon, it came down
down
“on the
fl
ank
fl
eshed in the dirt, lone alone you climbed the
dreamed-in
“rocks, rode rocks, you rode on your knees, the horse was you, the
“horse’s fever ferrying you precious, where was its red garden, wh-
“ere is it now with your locust blood, scarlet plume, where does its
wo-
“manly tremble burn, moor tremor, its rubrubbled rock door,
where
“is the grackle garden now, coppery mapu, red waist of the aura of
“the fust of the grape of the rock slurped up by the indians, of ro-
“cks of briar wine, of crags in the distance,
“weaving through goats, chanas, parrots, where
“was the garden, the distancy, where does the
“
fl
ower of neglect grow, where dies the garden
“of the saladino, where lies, rider, the gold-
“en bone that went whistling long milongas, was
“it you with the
ti
meworn, in sweet spla
tt
ered
“eaves, in iron cauldrons, in bundles, in sky
fl
ashes
“armadillos, carapaces, where does the garden
“beat, deep branchings, chenchen, marimari
“and ñancupurrún roots they want my eyes, the
“jardín co orado wants my anima, it was you, you
“went, salutr ous, where is the garden now, where
“does it
fl
icker, where do its temples
sing, oh,
“redbreast?!...)
*With help from friends: Mari is the Ranquel word for the number ten, and marimari is a gree
ti
ng. Saladino is
a reference to the Salado river. For the Mapuche and others, chenchen may refer to a mythical serpent who
came down from the wenumapu (the above, the heavens).
8. Bordona
“Siento una milonga enconada, Juan, este
Cantor, siento un viento ladino…”
(“por qué canta este puma, cómo canta, si se llora, se miente, se
ende-
“cierta, juan, el puma que canta con sonrisas, payador de la piedra, se
“ensangrenta, payador de la llaga de su boca, templador del relato de
“la penca, por qué paya este puma, por qué tañe, las sonrisas no son
de
“su vihuela, juan, el puma se tañe para adentro, se rasguea la sal, las
“cuerdas de ella, la milonga del puma es una máscara, carapacho de
jume,
“collón, piedra donde vive el collón, juan, la milonga entatuada con
“hierbas de la pena, juan, el puma no canta, pobre puma, puma
pobre de
“aguada y osamenta, juan, el puma que viene del salitre, de su madre
de
“niebla sonajera, de la piedra redonda, destripada para verle hasta el
“vientre hasta la ausencia, payador de las aguas del verano lagrimón
“de los cueros de la seca, cómo, juan, por qué, juan, el puma sabe,
casca-
“beles parecen, vihuelean, él da vuelta
su
“rastro y él se cura, se desviste de
vien-
“tos de salmuera, él se calza de briznas
y
“él se apaga las pupilas, no canta, juan,
no
“templa, se degüella, se arrastra, y él
se
“cuelga, él se arranca la yel y se
cuerea,
“y él se asa, asador, se sala solo, él se
co-
“me hasta el hueso hasta la niebla,
juan, el
“puma no canta, ni hasta el hombre
rastrea-
9. “dor de la noche ve su yesca, se le
queda
“la niebla entre las manos y su
fi
erro
es
“como agua entre la niebla, juan, el
puma de
“música volada, él se queda
escuchándose las
“venas, juan, la yesca del puma, los
gualichos,
“él se canta la sombra, no regresa…”)
10. Bass Drone
“I feel an ardent milonga, Juan, this
Cantor, I feel a cunning wind …”
(“why does this puma sing, how he sings, if he cries, if he lies, he in-
“deserts himself, juan, puma who sings by smiling, crooner of stone,
he
“bloodies himself, crooner of the canker of his mouth, tuner of the
tale of the
“stalk, why does this puma croon, why does he clang, his smiles are
not
“of the vihuela, juan, the puma clangs inward, strums his own salt, st-
“rings of that, this puma’s milonga is a mask, a carapace of glasswort,
“collón, rock where the collón grows, juan, the milonga inta
tt
ooed
with
“herbs of mourning, juan, the puma won’t sing, poor puma, puma
poor of
“waterhole and bones, juan, puma born from saltpeter, from his
mother
“of ra
tt
ling fog, from round stone, disembowelled to be seen down to
his
“guts down to his own absence, crooner of the waters of the fat-tear
summer
“on the skins of the dry, how, juan, why, juan, the puma knows, jing-
“lebells resemble, they vihuela, the
puma re-
“traces and cures himself, undresses
himself of
“brine wind, wears wisps of grass as
shoes,
“snu
ff
s out his pupils, won’t sing, juan,
won’t
“tune, slits his own throat, drags and
hangs
“himself, pries out his bile,
fl
ays himself,
and
“is roasted, is the roaster, salts, savors
him-
“self down to the bone down to the fog,
juan,
“the puma won’t sing, not even the
tracker at
“night sees his kindling, everything
lingering is
“fog in his hands and his weapon is like
“water
fl
owing in the fog, juan, the
puma of
11. “
fl
own music, he stays tuned to his own
ve-
“ins, juan, kindling of the puma, his
gualichos,
“he sings its own shadow, he won’t
return…”)
Gualichos: Ancestral spirits, in Mapuche, Ranquel, Pampa, and Tehuelche belief systems.
12. Bordona
“…ay///, esta enorme, terrible, mesa mía…”
(“vengan, noches, que el pan es una boca en la boca que huye de la espina,
“vengan, cielos, la yesca de la mesa tañe de oro sagrado, repar
ti
da, una
“llama que cae en las cabezas, un quetral de los cielos, una niña que se
“sale de niebla, que se hornea, que se arrulla de pan de olor, cobriza, nie-
“bla niebla de olor, ala en la yesca, juan, la luna es un ascua conmovida,
ven-
“gan árboles vivos, rosas, pájaros, heriduras no me oigan, muertes
fi
nas,
muer-
“tes bárbaras, juan, la niebla tarda, apenitas un agua enlejosida, pasan
aguas
“redondas por la calle, aguas dulces de a dos como mellizas, juan, la noche,
“la yesca tañedora, juan, la calle, la sal de aquella esquina, otra vez estos,
“símbolos quemados en la mesa se agolpan, se persignan, vengan, fuegos
de le-
“jos, vengan, cantos, alerón de las bardas, las bardinas, los paisanos del
vien-
“to, vengan, ruidos, luces malas, juan, vengan, costeritas, las bandadas de
dios,
“las jagüeleras, cicatrices del vino, juan,
“esquilas, las comparsas paisanas, pobres in-
“dios esquilando entre piedras que caminan,
“juan, la niebla es un beso por la frente, por
“los ojos la niebla es una chilca, un olor de
“la chilca, juan, la yesca, vengan, piedras salto-
“nas, primi
ti
vas, muertes ciegas y tristes no me
“escuchen, juan, la copa de niebla, la escudilla,
“vengan,
fl
ores de piedra, boleaderos, vengan, ca-
“rros quemados, torrecitas, juan, la mesa es el
“mundo, no hay distancias, tajamares del loco,
“travesías, vengan,
fl
ores de niebla, venga, nie-
“bla, juan, la copa, los cerros de la vida!...)
13. Bordona
“…ay…, this, my enormous, terrible, table …”
(“come, nights, as bread is a mouth in the mouth that escapes the
spine,
“come, skies, the kindling of the table clangs sacred gold, sha
tt
ered,
shared,
“
fl
ame that rains over heads, quetral of skies, a young girl who surfaces
“from fog, who is baked in the oven, who is lulled by bread by its smell,
copper,
“fog fog of smell, wing in the kindling, juan, the moon is an ember as
ti
r,
co-
“me living trees, roses, birds, dire wounds don’t hear me,
fi
ne deaths,
barb-
“arous deaths, juan, the fog
fl
ags, barely distanciated water, round
waters
“pass down the street, fresh waters paired like twins, juan, the night,
the
“kindling clangs, juan, the street, the salt on that corner, them again,
“the symbols burnt on the table jumble, get crossed, come,
fi
res of this
di-
“stance, come, songs, pe
tt
ywing of cli
ff
s, blu
ff
s, countryfolk of the win-
“d, come, noises, fatuous
fi
res, juan, come, coastlets, god
fl
ocks,
“the waterholes, winescars, juan,
“shearings, bands of people, poor
in-
“dians shearing in the rocks that
walk,
“juan, for the forehead fog is a kiss,
“for the eyes fog is a fuschia bush, whi
ff
“of fuschia, juan, kindling, come,
lea-
“ping rocks, primal, blind sad
deaths don’t
“listen, juan, cup of fog, porringer,
come
“stone
fl
owers, stone-slingers,
come, bur-
“nt carts, turrets, juan, the table is
the
“world, there are no distances,
cutwater
“of the mad, travels, come,
fogblooms, co-
“me, fog, juan, the cup, hills of
life!...)
14.
15. Bordona
“…juan, la niebla en un carro,
geologías…”
(“…dónde va, cómo, juan, cómo la noche, dónde me anda la niebla, los
cla-
“veles, ella dobla la calle, la
fl
or suelta, en un carro que cruza por mis
“sienes, yo la veo pasar con la tormenta, con la sombra del cielo,
redonde-
“les, yo me estoy en la copa marillosa, en su carro feliz mi copa muere,
pa-
“sa y pasa paloma derrotada, en
fl
orada en su yesca me parece, juan, la
noche
“crinosa me acorrala, me relampa los ojos, me los cuece, nieblaniebla no
mira
“pero mira, en su espejo me espía, redondeles, yo no quiero saber de
dónde
“sale, de qué casa se huye, mi sien crece, una esquina desnuda o una
torre,
“una casa salvaje, redondeles, una casa de besos, moriruras del deleite
del
“diablo que la
ti
ende, juan, qué pasa, quién abre sus espaldas, una torre
de
“sal, los redondeles, niebla pasa de dónde, la tormenta, estos cielos de
mí y
“estos hogueres, niebla dobla la esquina, suspirada, tormentosa,
temblada, re-
“dondeles, en su carro se va con su es-
“pejura, temblorosa, mojada, juan,
quién
“viene, luceríos,
fl
orumbres, geologías,
“piedra dél en sus ayes, redondeles, en
“mi copa marilla, juan, la noche, en mi
“copa esmaltada que la encueje, an
ti
-
“güísimos reyes, hombres de agua,
besos
“de hombres de plata dulcementes,
geo-
“logías, huesuras, piedrerías, ellajuan,
“ellaluna, redondeles, amapolas sus
pe-
“chos retozones, esa torre en la esquí-
16. “na del poniente, ese carro, la casa de
“la niebla, vuelan, juan, geologías, re-
“dondeles…”)
17. Bass Drone
“…juan, the fog in a cart,
geologies…”
(“…where is it going, how, juan, how the night, where is the fog to me,
the car-
“na
ti
ons, it turns onto the next street, sundered
fl
ower, cart that
crosses
“my temples, I watch as it passes with the storm, with sky’s shadow,
roun-
“dels, I myself in the ambarine cup, in its happy cart my cup is dying,
the beat-
“en dove passes and passes, in
fl
owered in kindling it seems, juan, the
“manelong night corrals me, hungers for my eyes, cooks them, fogfog
doesn’t
“look but looks, watches me in its mirror, roundels, I don’t want to
know where
“it comes from, what house it
fl
ed, my temple stretches, a naked
corner or to-
“wer, savage house, roundels, a house of kisses, its pleasure deaths the
de-
“vil tending it, juan, what comes to pass, who unclasps its back, tower
of
“salt, roundels, fog is passing wherefrom, that storm, these skies of
mine,
“these stake
fi
res, fog turns the corner, sighful, stormful, tremblesome,
ron-
“dels, it leaves in its cart, mirror-
“ful, quaking, wet, juan, who is
“coming, lumina,
fl
oralia, geologies,
“its stone in its ohohs, roundels, in
“my ambarine cup, juan, night, in my
“enameled cup who incut it, an
ti
-
“que kings, men of water, the kisses
“of men of silver sweetly, geolo-
“gies, ossuaries, rockeries, shejuan,
“shemoon, roundels, poppies bub-
“bling breasts, that tower on the cor-
“ner of the westerly, that cart, house
“of fog, they
fl
y, juan, geologies, ron-
“dels…”)
18. balada arcaica
ya te vas vegetal tornasolada no me prendas la
fl
or del exterminio fulgimiento del agua de
los ojos no me prendas la
fl
or del exterminio hinchamiento del cielo qué potencias no me
prendas la
fl
or del exterminio qué hinchadura del mundo taza turbia no me prendas la
fl
or
del exterminio con el hijo salido de tu entraña no me prendas la
fl
or del exterminio con el
ala punteada de tu ángel no me prendas la
fl
or del exterminio con arcillas que vuelan
soberanas no me prendas la
fl
or del exterminio en olor de adiós que me espeluza no me
prendas la
fl
or del exterminio con tu boca antañera tras tu boca no me prendas la
fl
or del
exterminio en amor de tu sombra sonadora no me prendas la
fl
or del exterminio!
[de Canción rupestre (1972)]
19.
20. archaic ballad
now you are leaving vegetal iridescent don’t light the
fl
ower of extermina
ti
on for me water
glimmering in your eyes don’t light the
fl
ower of extermina
ti
on for me what swelling in the
sky pure power don’t light the
fl
ower of extermina
ti
on for me swell of the world turbid
cup don’t light the
fl
ower of extermina
ti
on for me with the child of your entrails don’t light
the
fl
ower of extermina
ti
on for me with your plucked seraph wing don’t light the
fl
ower of
extermina
ti
on for me with clay pigeons soaring sovereign don’t light the
fl
ower of
extermina
ti
on for me in the insu
ffl
a
ti
on of goodbye chilling my skin don’t light the
fl
ower
of extermina
ti
on for me with your weary mouth don’t light the
fl
ower of extermina
ti
on for
me for love of your resounding shadow don’t light the
fl
ower of extermina
ti
on for me!
21. canción rupestre
llovía Dios en la noche resplandosa granazón de los
ti
empos llovían salmor y la piedra al
galope de la una eras vos y era yo dos cerros blancos espinazo del cielo enentreabrido eras
barro alumbrante llovían sapos oh amasijo de labios y de
fi
ebres la caverna cantada por los
pájaros el altar de la vida llovían ojos llovía luz y temblor llovían pantanos llovía azul
corazones ruiseñores llovían almas y cuerpos dibujados llovía un ser como
ti
gre llovían
cuernos llovían músicas grandes hachas cántaros llovían manos de piedras con hollines
manos rojas y amor color sagrado nos tornamos en piedra en lo llovido en abrazo de
piedra nos tallamos en rayón de la piedra que sabía nos hallaron divinos imantados!
[de Canción rupestre (1972)]
22. rupestral song
it rained God in the night radiant sca
tt
er of eras it rained
psalmbrine and stone to the gallop of the moon you were you and I I
two white hills with the sky inspining us you were luminous mud i
t rained toads oh jumble of lips and fevers the cave crooned by
birds the altar of life it rained eyes it rained light and tremor i
t rained bogs it rained blue hearts nigh
ti
ngales it rained souls aolnd pen-
ciled
fi
gures it rained a creature like a
ti
ger it rained horns it rained mus-
ics massive axes buckets it rained stone hands blacked with soot red h-
ands and love spla
tt
ered with sacral color we turned to stone to run-
o
ff
hugged by stone we carved our way into the knowing stone they
found us magne
ti
zed divine!
23. no quiero que esta oda se me muera
qué buscabas en estos fachinales mi peñón amarillo mis isletas
mis claveles hundidos mis granates entremedio mis plumas salonegras
qué te dieron mi hombre desnochido mi mujer soterrada en la
ti
niebla
no me cruzan los vinos ni los diablos y tu pelo azabacha mi vihuela
tu copón de canela victoriosa destapado entre músicas morenas
yo te espero en las noches en tumulto en pendón de mi cuerpo entre culebras
de la cueva sabrosa de la noche con mi vivo calel oh mi verbena
qué llevaste de mí qué lambedero de las lunas bramosas mi secreta
te saliste de añil hortensia rara bailaderos del puma verde guerra
yo te espero en raigón y en hechicero en morada canción en potro y yegua!
(caída de la tarde, 16.)
24. I don’t want this ode to die on me
what were you a
ft
er in these marshes my yellow crag my islets
my buried carna
ti
ons my garnets in the thick my saltblack feathers
what did they give you my nightstollen man my woman stashed in darkness
they don’t cross me not wines not devils and your hair my jetblack vihuela
your pyx of victorious cinnamon le
ft
open among so much swarthy music
I wait for you in nights in the tumult in the banner of my body among snakes
from the delicious cave of the night with my living calel oh my verbena
what did you take from me what saltlick of howlful moons my secre
ti
ve
you departed from indigo odd hortensia dancehalls of the green puma the war
I’ll wait for you at the stump and enchanter at the purple song at the colt and mare!
(evening falling, 16.)
Calel: Mapundungun word for mountain, cf. the site Lihué Calel.
25. oda enmarañada, antes de terminar
las letras de tu nombre
ay la
fl
or del chañar no te la comas no le comas el sacro amarillito
redondeles
fl
oridos y no quiero que me vaya de aquí sin un estribo
no te robes la brama ni precioso el franjeado color del regocijo
corazón te recalcas entre
fl
ores se te amala el talon entreteñido
se te duerme el cencerro del boliche la botella pintada el estallido
ni las
fl
ores del humo en entreabuelo no le apagues la luna a los delirios
ni este órdago sumo no cortejes no le comas el sueño los ves
ti
dos
ay el beso de piedra de malvona no te lleves la gracia del bramido
los adobes del cielo el monte oliente ni sus ojos de mora moliditos
ay su cuello tendido no lo comas ni la entraña sagrada ni los hígados!
26.
27. muddled ode, before
fi
nishing
the le
tt
ers of your name
ah the
fl
ower of the chañar do not eat of it do not eat its sacral yellow
fl
orid roundels and I don’t want to be leaved here without a s
ti
rrup
don’t help yourself to its roar or lovely the rayed hue of its rejoice
heart you hammer in the
fl
owers it heckles you your intainted heel
it nods o
ff
on you the bell of the tavern the painted bo
tt
le the crash
nor the ingrandfathered
fl
owers of smoke don’t dampen deliriums of their moon
nor this all-or-nothing bet don’t
fl
irt with it don’t eat its dream its dresses
ah its kiss of stone of mallow do not run o
ff
with the grace of its roar
its adobes in the sky its musky mound or its eyes of mashed blackberry
ah its long neck do not eat it not even the sacred innards or the livers!
28. Tercera Palabra
Dónde errarás, Antonio tan Bustriazo?
Dónde, fatal espectro, Comisario
de Territorios Nacionales? Calmo,
te pienso calmo en tu gran paz, callado,
tu gesto asi, de labios apretados.
Y Juan Bau
ti
sta y su caballodiablo?
Lo buscarás?, se buscarán airados?
Dónde errarás, Miguel Antonio? Parco,
rápido hablar, tu fuerza eran tus manos.
Tu sombra vi, tu bulto oscuronado
en tu momento de morir Bustriazo,
tu nube ya, tu forma de apagado.
Te dejo aquí, errante y capturado,
gema o carbón, o
fl
auta o espantajo.
[from Libro de Ghenpín (1977)]
29. Third Word
Where do you wander, Antonioh-so-
Bustriazo? Where, deadly specter, Comisario
of Na
ti
onal Territories? I see you
in your endless peace, wordless,
as you always were,
ti
ght-lipped.
And Juan Bau
ti
sta and his hell-horse?
Will you hunt him down? Hound him mad?
Where do you wander, Miguel Antonio? Clipped,
grim, all your strength in your hands.
I saw your shadow, your black bulk
at the hour of your death, Bustriazo,
your cloud, your snu
ff
ed form.
There I’ll leave you, errant, caught,
gem or coal,
fl
ute or fright.
30. Cuadragésima Sexta Palabra
renacido pasaba con su gaita era él era él la noche ondeaba
ondulaba el gen
tí
o y él pasaba con su rostro rosillo lampagueaba
su pupila terrible celta en llamas su laringe animal ay insu
fl
ada
por la vida y la muerte que sonaban como el viento de dios con la garganta
el cogote animal que regresaba dylan thomas bermejo con su gaita
dylan rojo gemido dylan lágrima dylan odre el alcol balido panza
loca lengua caliente bofe entraña de los clanes remotos se asomaba
me rozó su quemor porque él se lanzaba del hervor de vivir soplo soplaba
poderoso viviente de su gaita yo temblé de un temblado yo temblaba
de profundo temblor dylan rojeaba salvajoso de amor se calcinaba!
[de El libro del Ghenpín (1977)]
31. Forty-Sixth Word
reborn he passed with his pipes it was him it was him the night waved
the crowd rippled and he passed by with his roan face it
fl
ashed
his terrible cel
ti
c pupil in
fl
ames his animal larynx oh insu
ffl
ated
by life and death which sounded like the wind of god with its throat
its animal hackle that returned dylan thomas vermeil with his pipes
Dylan red moan dylan tear dylan wineskin the alcohol the bleat the belly
crazed hot tongue gullet viscera of the distant clans peeking out
his burn brushed against me as he leapt from the broil of living a blow blew
powerful living of his pipes I trembled with a tremble I was trembling
from a deep tremor dylan reddened savageful scorched by love!
32. a ninguna
cáeme la luna de las derrotas
rómpese el aire las muchachas
que tengo en las pér
fi
das sienes
en la derecha costa mirla
bájase otoño de las nieblas
bájate niebla hasta mis muslos
regalaréte lengua ansiosa
hasta agoniarte y fallecérteme
hasta que mi amor póngate en yesca
rómpete taza sin ponzoña
estaráste en qué galladura
en qué preñez en que siga ardiendo
hasta quinientos o tres mil años
ay mi casa de tornasoles
mi algarroba de treinta sombras
entreilusionado no veréme
y en tus trémolas no seré padre
ay mi junca desriñonada
mi descadera chilca augusta
ni mi parida muy serásme !
[from Unca bermeja (1984)]
33. to none
it falls me moon of defeats
the air sha
tt
ers the girls
I keep in my traiterous temples
on the right coastline, blackbirdess
autumn falls from the fogs
come down fog to my thighs
I’ll o
ff
er you this fervent tongue
un
ti
l you agony and die me
un
ti
l my love lays you in dead grass
crush your poisonless cup
you will sit in that blood spot
in that pregnancy that s
ti
ll smolders
for
fi
ve hundred or three thousand years
oh my house of heliotropes
my thirty-shadow locust tree
I won't see myself inlusioned
in your
fl
u
tt
ers I’ll be no father
oh my eviscerated she-reed
my unhipped august fuschia
nor my born be en
ti
rely mine!
