smCOLUMN FORTY-EIGHT, AUGUST 1, 1999
(Copyright © 1999 Al Aronowitz)
SECTION ELEVEN
POETRY PAGE ONE
sm
COLUMN FORTY-EIGHT, AUGUST 1, 1999
(Copyright © 1999 Al Aronowitz)
(Photo by Carlos Arturo Puerta)
[From Colombia's celebrated poet, Raúl Henao of Medellin,
here's another poem in Spanish, accompanied by its English translation, both
from Raúl's La vida a la carta or Life a la carte.]
PERDER
LA CABEZA
un pollo en el asador
Adverti
que a pesar de poner todo empeño de mi
parte no podía cerrar la boca
Afortunadamente
había pasado desapercibido para
las personas que a esa hora acostumbran pasearse
a lo largo de la calle
Cuando
tocado por la curlosidad alguien se detuvo
a mi lado y echó una ojeada
Luego
con el aire del domador de circo que mete
su cabeza en la boca de un león
lntrodujo
la suya en mi boca y volvió a sacala
al parecer sin ningún desperfecto
Sólo
en la expresión avergonzada de su rostro se
adivinaba que acababa de perder la cabeza.
##
TO
LOSE ONE'S HEAD
While
staring at the chicken
going round in the roaster
I
became aware that in spite of my every effort
I could not close my mouth
Fortunately
this had gone unheeded
by the people who at that hour were accustomed
to stroll along the street
at my side and had a look
Then
with the air of a circus trainer who puts
his head in the lion's mouth
He
introduced his into my mouth and then
extracted it without seeming to suffer any damage
Only
in the embarrassed expression on his face
Could you guess that he had just lost his head
(Translated by Philip West) ##
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