Miguel Hernandez, "First Song"

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

FIRST SONG

The field has drawn back
when it saw man, muscles
tightened, rush into it.

What an abyss appears
between the olive tree and man!

The animal who sings:
the animal who is able
to weep and to sink roots,
remembered his claws.

Claws that he adorned
with silkiness and flowers
but at last allows to be bare
in all their cruelty.

My claws are snapping on my hands.
Keep away from them, my son.
I am liable to plunge them,
I am liable to thrust them
into your fragile body.

I have turned back into the tiger.
Keep away, or I will destroy you.

Today love is death,
and man is a hunter of man.


MIGUEL HERNANDEZ

Translated from the Spanish by James Wright

Comments

[takhys]

I have turned back into the tiger.

Lovely. +mem.

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

I'd just come back from seeing an exhibition of press photography: wars, massacres, dead AIDS babies and wounded refugees. My friend had turned to me as we were looking, said: "How can we be so inhuman towards another living person?" I thought the poem captured a bit of that split.

[takhys]

There are a couple works that come to mind on the subject -- one in particular by Stephen Crane, but I can't remember the title.

Have you ever had a chance to read any of Hammarskjöld's stuff? Very nice work.

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

I haven't; thank you for the link. It's very arresting, to be sure.

I like the layout on your poetry community. Although I have to ask: The default icon, is it by spiffed_icon?

[takhys]

!!! YES. Thank you! I've been trying to find out where that icon came from for ages. I love 'The Good Thief' and the icon is gorgeous, but I found it off a link of a link and there was no authorship listed.

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

*points excitedly to own default* I totally love that movie, too. :) so_spiffed was very good to make those on my request.

repost - LJ is acting up. Bah.

[takhys]

If you liked 'The Good Thief', have you seen 'The Spanish Prisoner'? It's directed by Mamet and a little hard to find, but really worth it.

Re: repost - LJ is acting up. Bah.

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

With Campbell Scott? (Love him.) I think I started watching it on television once, but never got to finish. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with David Mamet. At his worst, I find him a terribly insensitive writer.

[takhys]

The movie itself I can pretty much take or leave; it's Steve Martin that makes it worthwhile.

I work in movie rental place that specializes in indie, foreign and classic films, so I usually end up recommending it because it's one that a lot of people haven't seen and it's not overly pretentious.

(Yes, I like horrible, shlocky crap movies.)

[iatrogenicmyth.livejournal.com]

This is amazing, amazing, amazing.

I have recently become a huge fan of this poet thanks to these communities.

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

:) I'm very happy that you like it.

just found another of his I adore:

[iatrogenicmyth.livejournal.com]

[Everything is full of you]

Everything is full of you
and I am full of everything:
the cities are full,
and the cemeteries are full,

you, with all the houses,
me, with all the bodies.

Down the streets, I will leave
something that I will retake:
pieces of my life
come from far away.

I go, feathered by agony
against my will, to see myself
in the threshold, in the bottom
hidden since birth.

Everything is full of me:
of something that is yours and memory
lost, but found
once more, some day.

Days that linger behind
decidedly black,
indelibly red,
golden upon your body.

Cast from your hair,
everything is full of you:
of something that I haven't found
and look for among your bones.