Spoon River Anthology — Page 14
Their spirits looked upon my torture;
Sus espíritus contemplaron mi tormento;
They drank it as it were the water of life;
Lo bebieron como si fuera el agua de la vida;
With reddened cheeks, brightened eyes,
Con mejillas enrojecidas, ojos resplandecientes,
The rising flame of my soul made their spirits gilt,
La llama ascendente de mi alma doró sus espíritus,
Like the wings of a butterfly drifting suddenly into sunlight.
Como las alas de una mariposa que de repente se adentra en la luz del sol.
And they cried to me for life, life, life.
Y me clamaban por vida, vida, vida.
But in taking life for myself,
Pero al tomar la vida para mí,
In seizing and crushing their souls,
Al apoderarse y aplastar sus almas,
As a child crushes grapes and drinks
Como un niño aplasta uvas y bebe
From its palms the purple juice,
De sus palmas el jugo púrpura,
I came to this wingless void,
Llegué a este vacío sin alas,
Where neither red, nor gold, nor wine,
Donde ni el rojo, ni el oro, ni el vino,
Nor the rhythm of life are known.
Ni el ritmo de la vida son conocidos.
Minerva Jones
Minerva Jones
I am Minerva, the village poetess,
Soy Minerva, la poetisa del pueblo,
Hooted at, jeered at by the Yahoos of the street
Abucheada, mofada por los bárbaros de la calle
For my heavy body, cock-eye, and rolling walk,
Por mi cuerpo pesado, ojo torcido y andar bamboleante,
And all the more when "Butch" Weldy
Y aún más cuando "Butch" Weldy
Captured me after a brutal hunt.
Me capturó tras una brutal persecución.
He left me to my fate with Doctor Meyers;
Me dejó a mi suerte con el Doctor Meyers;
And I sank into death, growing numb from the feet up,
Y me hundí en la muerte, entumenciéndome desde los pies,
Like one stepping deeper and deeper into a stream of ice.
Como quien se adentra cada vez más en un torrente de hielo.
Will some one go to the village newspaper,
¿Irá alguien al periódico del pueblo,
And gather into a book the verses I wrote?—
Y reunirá en un libro los versos que escribí?—
I thirsted so for love
Tuve tanta sed de amor
I hungered so for life!
¡Tuve tanta hambre de vida!
"Indignation" Jones
"Indignación" Jones
You would not believe, would you
No lo creerías, ¿verdad?
That I came from good Welsh stock?
¿Que provenía de buena estirpe galesa?
That I was purer blooded than the white trash here?
¿Que tenía sangre más pura que la escoria blanca de aquí?
And of more direct lineage than the
¿Y de linaje más directo que los
New Englanders And Virginians of Spoon River?
Nuevos ingleses y virginianos de Spoon River?
You would not believe that I had been to school
No creerías que había ido a la escuela
And read some books.
Y leído algunos libros.
Vocabulary
- Sus
- His, her, your (formal) possessive adjective
- espíritus
- Spirits, ghosts, or spiritual beings
- contemplaron
- They contemplated or gazed upon
- mi
- My possessive adjective or musical note
- tormento
- Torment, agony, or suffering
- Lo
- It, him, the (neuter article/pronoun)
- bebieron
- They drank or consumed liquid
- como
- Like, as, or how
- si
- If or whether conditional conjunction
- fuera
- Were or might be subjunctive form
- el
- The definite article masculine singular
- agua
- Water or liquid substance
- de
- Of, from, or belonging to
- la
- The definite article feminine singular
- vida
- Life or living existence
- Con
- With or accompanying someone/something
- mejillas
- Cheeks on the face
- ojos
- Eyes or vision organs
- La
- The definite article feminine singular
- llama
- Flame or fire or llama animal
- ascendente
- Ascending, rising, or upward moving
- alma
- Soul or spiritual essence
- sus
- His, her, your (formal) possessive adjective
- Como
- Like, as, or how
- las
- The definite article feminine plural
- alas
- Wings or appendages for flight
- una
- A, an, or one feminine
- mariposa
- Butterfly or winged insect
- que
- That, which, or what
- repente
- Sudden or unexpectedly occurring
- se
- Reflexive pronoun or passive voice
- en
- In or inside a place
- luz
- Light or illumination
- del
- Of the or from the
- sol
- Sun or solar body
- me
- Me or to me object pronoun
- clamaban
- They cried out or shouted loudly
- por
- For, by, or through
- Pero
- But or however conjunction
- al
- At the or to the
- tomar
- To take or consume
- para
- For or intended purpose
- mí
- Me or myself object pronoun
- Al
- At the or to the
- apoderarse
- To seize or take control
- aplastar
- To crush or flatten
- almas
- Souls or spiritual essences plural
- un
- A, an, or one masculine
- niño
- Child or young boy
- aplasta
- Crushes or flattens something
- uvas
- Grapes or grape fruits
- bebe
- Drinks or baby infant
- De
- Of, from, or belonging to
- palmas
- Palms or palm trees
- jugo
- Juice or liquid extracted from fruit
- púrpura
- Purple or violet color
- Llegué
- I arrived or reached a place
- este
- This or this one
- vacío
- Empty or void space
- sin
- Without or lacking something
- Donde
- Where or in which place
- ni
- Neither or nor conjunction
- rojo
- Red or crimson color
- oro
- Gold or precious metal
- vino
- Wine or came verb
- Ni
- Neither or nor conjunction
- ritmo
- Rhythm or beat pattern
- son
- Are or musical sound
- conocidos
- Known or acquainted people
- Soy
- I am or exist verb
- poetisa
- Female poet or woman poet
- pueblo
- People, town, or village
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