Poem
Maruja Vieira
HENRY THE NAVIGATOR
On the dawn of May eighteenthe “Santa Eulalia” weighed anchors.
The captain was on the bridge.
The old wise mariner
relit his pipe
and consulted
his ancient astrolabe.
There were his books, intact,
the bow and arrows,
the games,
the disks,
the cats.
We remained ashore
looking at his going away
on his last unexpected
voyage.
Is he going to the Arctic,
where the great grandfather
was looking for
Captain Franklin’s
lost expedition?
He’ll always
sail by night,
running along
the Milky Way,
a lord of shadows
and music,
of puzzles and engines.
Then he’ll
anchor
on a star
of the Taurus
constellation
and when we
look up at the sky
we’ll see
the “Santa Eulalia” lights
twinkling.
© Translation: 2005, Jaime Tello
ENRIQUE EL NAVEGANTE
ENRIQUE EL NAVEGANTE
En el amanecer del dieciocho de mayozarpó el “Santa Eulalia”.
El capitán iba en el puente de mando.
El viejo marino sabio
volvió a encender su pipa
y consultó un antiquísimo
astrolabio.
Allí estaban sus libros,
intactos.
El arco y las flechas,
los juegos, los discos,
los gatos.
Nos quedamos en tierra,
mirándolo partir
en su último viaje
inesperado.
¿Va rumbo al Ártico
donde el bisabuelo
buscaba la expedición
perdida
del Capitán Franklin?
Navegará siempre
en la noche,
recorriendo la Vía Láctea,
señor de sombras
y de música,
de rompecabezas
y máquinas.
Después anclará
en una estrella
de la constelación
de Tauro
y cuando miremos
al cielo
en las noches claras
veremos brillar
las luces
del “Santa Eulalia”.
From: Los Nombres de la Ausencia
Publisher: Ediciones “San Librario”, Bogotá
Publisher: Ediciones “San Librario”, Bogotá
Poems
Poems of Maruja Vieira
Close
HENRY THE NAVIGATOR
On the dawn of May eighteenthe “Santa Eulalia” weighed anchors.
The captain was on the bridge.
The old wise mariner
relit his pipe
and consulted
his ancient astrolabe.
There were his books, intact,
the bow and arrows,
the games,
the disks,
the cats.
We remained ashore
looking at his going away
on his last unexpected
voyage.
Is he going to the Arctic,
where the great grandfather
was looking for
Captain Franklin’s
lost expedition?
He’ll always
sail by night,
running along
the Milky Way,
a lord of shadows
and music,
of puzzles and engines.
Then he’ll
anchor
on a star
of the Taurus
constellation
and when we
look up at the sky
we’ll see
the “Santa Eulalia” lights
twinkling.
© 2005, Jaime Tello
From: Los Nombres de la Ausencia
From: Los Nombres de la Ausencia
HENRY THE NAVIGATOR
On the dawn of May eighteenthe “Santa Eulalia” weighed anchors.
The captain was on the bridge.
The old wise mariner
relit his pipe
and consulted
his ancient astrolabe.
There were his books, intact,
the bow and arrows,
the games,
the disks,
the cats.
We remained ashore
looking at his going away
on his last unexpected
voyage.
Is he going to the Arctic,
where the great grandfather
was looking for
Captain Franklin’s
lost expedition?
He’ll always
sail by night,
running along
the Milky Way,
a lord of shadows
and music,
of puzzles and engines.
Then he’ll
anchor
on a star
of the Taurus
constellation
and when we
look up at the sky
we’ll see
the “Santa Eulalia” lights
twinkling.
© 2005, Jaime Tello
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