Translations

Tiwanaku

by Pedro Shimose Kawamura

Tu nombre amarillea,
oscurece y
cae
gastado,
al fondo de la piedra.
Todo es muerte en ti,
figuración del tiempo,
muerte que no acaba de morir.
Profundo,
el sueño de la piedra intenta definirte
pero el frío
se filtra por tus ojos,
se hace noche en ti,
tristeas,
tus siglos son escombros
tu sombra
se derrumba
a cada instante,
se agrieta
a cada instante
se desplomba en el polvo
a cada instante.
Tu funeral
camina
por telaranas y tormentas.
El olor de la muerte te persigue:
tu escarcha envejecida,
tu paciencia arrugada,
tu circulo,
tus sellos.


Ya no estás,
piedra vencida, ciega,
piedra de soledad,
de la noche a la noche,
tu nombre es nada,
piedra sometida,
piedra de silencio,
piedra.

Tiwanaku
#

translated from the Spanish by
Michelle Har Kim

Your name glows
darkens and
plunges
squandered,
at the base of the stone.
Dead inside,
figuration of time,
death’s unfinished dying.
Within,
the stone dreams to define you
but the cold
leaks from your eyes,
darkens inside you,
forlorn,
your centuries are debris,
your shadow
with each breath
caves
with each breath,
cracks
with each breath,
collapses into dust
Your funeral
walks
through tempests and cobwebs.
The smell of death trailing:
aged frost,
furrowed patience,
your circle,
your insignia.


No longer,
conquered stone, blind,
solitary stone,
the nights,
they name nothing,
subjected stone,
stone of silence,
stone.

Described by critics as one of Bolivia’s greatest poets, the repertoire of author, journalist, and scholar Pedro Shimose Kawamura (1940–) includes an array of genres, from his acclaimed verses, to his short stories, textbooks, and musical work. Born in Riberalta, Bolivia, he has lived as an expatriate in Madrid since 1971. The 1972 recipient of the Casa de las Américas Prize for the book of poems Quiero escribir, pero me sale espuma, and the Premio Nacional de Novela in 1999, Shimose been rendered into over ten languages. His original volumes of poetry also include, among others, Caducidad del fuego (1975), Reflexiones maquiavélicas (1980), Bolero de caballería (1985), Riberalta y otros poemas (1996), and No te lo vas a creer (2000).

FROM Volume 69, Number 1

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