Venice masks

Saturday 13 June 2015

“I Am Not I” - Juan Ramón Jimenez

I am not I.
                   I am this one
walking beside me whom I do not see,
whom at times I manage to visit,
and whom at other times I forget;
who remains calm and silent while I talk,
and forgives, gently, when I hate,
who walks where I am not,
who will remain standing when I die.

Juan Ramón Jimenez (1881 - 1958) Spain
Winner of the Nobel Prize in 1956
Translated by Robert Bly

1 comment:

  1. I found your poetry posts today. It is great idea and this poem by Jimenez is a real keeper. Below is the Spanish.

    Yo no soy yo.
    Soy este
    que va a mi lado sin yo verlo,
    que, a veces, voy a ver,
    y que, a veces olvido.
    El que calla, sereno, cuando hablo,
    el que perdona, dulce, cuando odio,
    el que pasea por donde no estoy,
    el que quedará en pie cuando yo muera.

    ReplyDelete

Please keep your comments relevant and free from abusive language. Thank you. Note that comments are moderated so it may be a day or two before your comment is posted - irrelevant or abusive comments will not be published.