On Self-Knowledge

[lnhammer]

The river here forgets his humble source
and challenges with waves the hill that stands,
armored with roots of oak, before his course,
then, deftly turning, undercuts the land.

Foam-proud, but with no other dignity,
he passes on as if it were a game
by swerves and steps down rocks to the wide sea,
where he dissipates and drowns his name.

So we, who build our houses on the hill,
forget our ocean and artesian seep
until his flood comes rumbling from the deep;

then we, guests chattering behind us unmarked,
stand looking down on rapids in the dark,
reminded that the night is waiting still.

—1–5 July 1994

I'd forgotten about this -- another Spanish translation, this of a sonnet by Pedro Espinosa (1578-1650). The rendering of the sestet is *cough* a little free. Original text:


Al conocimiento de sí propio

Su pobre origen olvidó este río,
y en anchos vados espumoso espanta
al que armado de robles se levanta
valiente monte a contrastar su brío.

Pasa con inconstante señorío,
de sus ondas ufano, y adelanta
al ancho mar la irrevocable planta,
en donde ahoga el nombre y pierde el brío.

¡Oh tres y cuatro veces desdichada
miseria humana, que soberbia puedes
disimularte en sombra lisonjera!

Hombre, hijo de la tierra y de la nada,
¿cómo, yendo a la muerte, te concedes
olvido vil de tu nacíon primera?

---L.

Comments

[lnhammer]

A literal rendering of the sestet would be something like "Oh, three or four times unfortunate human misery, which can hide your pride in flattering shade! Man, son of the earth and nothing, how, as you go towards death, can you allow yourself (this) vile forgetfulness of your first nation?" Only I'm pretty sure nacíon had a different shade of meaning at the time -- possibly something like "your origin"?

As you can see, it would be better to say "after Pedro Espinosa" than call it a translation.

---L.