Spoon River Anthology — Page 12
And the Black-eyed cocotte took the tears for hers,
Y la cocotte de ojos negros tomó las lágrimas como suyas,
As well as the deceiving kisses I gave her.
Así como los engañosos besos que le di.
Somehow, from that hour, I had a new vision
De algún modo, desde esa hora, tuve una nueva visión
Dear Emily Sparks!
¡Querida Emily Sparks!
Emily Sparks
Emily Sparks
Where is my boy, my boy
¿Dónde está mi chico, mi chico
In what far part of the world?
En qué lejana parte del mundo?
The boy I loved best of all in the school?—
¿El chico que más amé de todos en la escuela?—
I, the teacher, the old maid, the virgin heart,
Yo, la maestra, la solterona, el corazón virgen,
Who made them all my children.
Que los hice a todos mis hijos.
Did I know my boy aright,
¿Conocí bien a mi chico,
Thinking of him as a spirit aflame,
Pensando en él como un espíritu en llamas,
Active, ever aspiring?
¿Activo, siempre aspirando?
Oh, boy, boy, for whom I prayed and prayed
Oh, chico, chico, por quien recé y recé
In many a watchful hour at night,
En muchas horas de vigilia por la noche,
Do you remember the letter I wrote you
¿Recuerdas la carta que te escribí
Of the beautiful love of Christ?
Del hermoso amor de Cristo?
And whether you ever took it or not,
Y tanto si la tomaste como si no,
My, boy, wherever you are,
Chico mío, dondequiera que estés,
Work for your soul's sake,
Trabaja por el bien de tu alma,
That all the clay of you, all of the dross of you,
Para que toda la arcilla de ti, toda la escoria de ti,
May yield to the fire of you,
Ceda al fuego de ti,
Till the fire is nothing but light!…
¡Hasta que el fuego no sea más que luz!…
Nothing but light!
¡Nada más que luz!
Trainor, the Druggist
Trainor, el farmacéutico
Only the chemist can tell, and not always the chemist,
Solo el químico puede decirlo, y no siempre el químico,
What will result from compounding
Qué resultará de combinar
Fluids or solids.
Fluidos o sólidos.
And who can tell
¿Y quién puede decir
How men and women will interact
Cómo interactuarán los hombres y las mujeres
On each other, or what children will result?
Entre sí, o qué hijos resultarán?
There were Benjamin Pantier and his wife,
Estaban Benjamin Pantier y su esposa,
Good in themselves, but evil toward each other;
Buenos en sí mismos, pero malos el uno para el otro;
He oxygen, she hydrogen,
Él oxígeno, ella hidrógeno,
Their son, a devastating fire.
Su hijo, un fuego devastador.
I Trainor, the druggist, a miser of chemicals,
Yo, Trainor, el farmacéutico, un avaro de productos químicos,
Killed while making an experiment,
Muerto mientras realizaba un experimento,
Lived unwedded.
Viví sin casarme.
Vocabulary
- la
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- de
- Of; from; indicates possession or relationship
- ojos
- Eyes; plural of ojo
- negros
- Black; dark colored (masculine plural adjective)
- tomó
- Took; past tense of tomar (third person singular)
- las
- The (feminine plural definite article)
- lágrimas
- Tears; plural of lágrima
- como
- Like; as; in the manner of
- suyas
- Hers; theirs (feminine plural possessive pronoun)
- Así
- Thus; so; in this manner
- los
- The (masculine plural definite article)
- engañosos
- Deceptive; misleading (masculine plural adjective)
- besos
- Kisses; plural of beso
- que
- That; which; what (relative pronoun)
- le
- Him; her; you (indirect object pronoun)
- di
- Gave; past tense of dar (first person singular)
- De
- Of; from; indicates possession or relationship
- algún
- Some; any (apocopated form of alguno)
- modo
- Way; manner; mode
- desde
- From; since (indicating time or place origin)
- esa
- That (feminine singular demonstrative adjective)
- hora
- Hour; time of day
- tuve
- Had; past tense of tener (first person singular)
- una
- A; one (feminine singular indefinite article)
- nueva
- New; recent (feminine singular adjective)
- visión
- Vision; sight; mental image
- Querida
- Dear; beloved (feminine singular adjective)
- Dónde
- Where; at what place (interrogative adverb)
- está
- Is; located (third person singular present of estar)
- mi
- My (possessive adjective)
- chico
- Boy; young man; boyfriend
- En
- In; on; at (preposition)
- qué
- What; which (interrogative pronoun)
- lejana
- Distant; far; remote (feminine singular adjective)
- parte
- Part; portion; place; region
- del
- Of the; from the (contraction of de+el)
- mundo
- World; earth; sphere
- El
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- más
- More; most; greatest
- amé
- Loved; past tense of amar (first person singular)
- todos
- Everyone; all (masculine plural pronoun)
- en
- In; on; at (preposition)
- escuela
- School; educational institution
- Yo
- I (first person singular pronoun)
- maestra
- Teacher; mistress (feminine singular noun)
- solterona
- Spinster; unmarried woman (slightly pejorative)
- el
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- corazón
- Heart; center of emotions
- virgen
- Virgin; pure; untouched
- Que
- That; which; what (relative pronoun)
- hice
- Made; did; past tense of hacer (first person singular)
- mis
- My (plural possessive adjective)
- hijos
- Children; sons (masculine plural noun)
- Conocí
- Knew; met; past tense of conocer (first person singular)
- bien
- Well; good; properly (adverb)
- Pensando
- Thinking; considering (present participle of pensar)
- él
- He; him (third person singular pronoun)
- un
- A; one (masculine singular indefinite article)
- espíritu
- Spirit; ghost; essence
- llamas
- Flames; fires; you call (second person singular)
- Activo
- Active; energetic (masculine singular adjective)
- siempre
- Always; ever (adverb)
- aspirando
- Aspiring; yearning; inhaling (present participle)
- por
- For; by; through (preposition)
- quien
- Who; whom (relative pronoun)
- recé
- Prayed; past tense of rezar (first person singular)
- muchas
- Many; a lot (feminine plural adjective)
- horas
- Hours; times of day (plural of hora)
- vigilia
- Vigil; wakefulness; watchfulness
- noche
- Night; darkness; evening
- Recuerdas
- Remember; recall (second person singular present)
- carta
- Letter; card; map (feminine singular noun)
- te
- You; yourself (second person singular pronoun)
- escribí
- Wrote; past tense of escribir (first person singular)
- Del
- Of the; from the (contraction of de+el)
- hermoso
- Beautiful; handsome (masculine singular adjective)
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