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
Source: Poetry Chaikhana
From: The Winged Energy of Delight: Selected Translations, Robert Bly, Harper Perennial, 2005
I found your poetry posts today. It is great idea and this poem by Jimenez is a real keeper. Below is the Spanish.
ReplyDeleteYo 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.