Idea Vilariño / Uruguayan poet
Translated from Spanish by:Andres Alfaro
He injures me and I bleed on him
He smashes me
I break him
The Uruguayan poet Idea Vilariño was one of the most renowned figures in Uruguayan poetry because of her lyrical creations that can be found in such works as “The Supplicant”, “Love Poems” and “Nocturnes”. She was also an essayist, literary critic, translator and composer, belonging to the literary group called Generation 45, which included other such distinguished writers as Mario Benedetti, Juan Carlos Onetti, Ángel Rama amongst others. She died at the age of 89 due to post operatory complications after a successful intestinal operation.
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Saying no....
Saying no
Saying no
tying me to the mast
but
wishing for the wind to knock it down
for the siren to rise up and with her teeth
cut the cords and drag me to the bottom
saying no no no
yet following her.
Love/El amor
A bird is singing to me
and I sing back to him
He twitters upon hearing me
And I twitter back
He injures me and I bleed on him
He smashes me
I break him
He tears me apart
I crush him
He helps me
I pick him up
All filled up with peace
with war
with hate and love
and once untied
his voice whines and I whine back
He laughs and I laugh back
He looks at me and I look at him
He talks to me and I talk to him
He loves me and I love him
- It's got nothing to do with love
we produce life -
and he asks me and I ask him
and he defeats me and I defeat him
and he completes me and I complete him.
He injures me and I bleed on him
He smashes me
I break him
The Uruguayan poet Idea Vilariño was one of the most renowned figures in Uruguayan poetry because of her lyrical creations that can be found in such works as “The Supplicant”, “Love Poems” and “Nocturnes”. She was also an essayist, literary critic, translator and composer, belonging to the literary group called Generation 45, which included other such distinguished writers as Mario Benedetti, Juan Carlos Onetti, Ángel Rama amongst others. She died at the age of 89 due to post operatory complications after a successful intestinal operation.
---
Saying no....
Saying no
Saying no
tying me to the mast
but
wishing for the wind to knock it down
for the siren to rise up and with her teeth
cut the cords and drag me to the bottom
saying no no no
yet following her.
Love/El amor
A bird is singing to me
and I sing back to him
He twitters upon hearing me
And I twitter back
He injures me and I bleed on him
He smashes me
I break him
He tears me apart
I crush him
He helps me
I pick him up
All filled up with peace
with war
with hate and love
and once untied
his voice whines and I whine back
He laughs and I laugh back
He looks at me and I look at him
He talks to me and I talk to him
He loves me and I love him
- It's got nothing to do with love
we produce life -
and he asks me and I ask him
and he defeats me and I defeat him
and he completes me and I complete him.