Venice masks

Saturday 2 February 2019

The Scar - Raúl Aguirrezabalaga

You’ve got the fame of a big thug—
but now you’re not even a shadow
of who you once were.
In the neighborhood of La Aguada
you’re no longer all the rage.
Keep yourself to the sidelines,*
since they left on your face a sign,
with the edge of a big knife—
the memory that remains is the scar.

Raúl Aguirrezabalaga (1911 - 1982) Uruguay (possibly)
Translated by Derrick Del Pilar
Source: Poesía de gotán: The Poetry of the Tango
*The original here uses the slang term “balconearla”—that is, to watch the action in the narrow street below from a balcony.

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