Los ríos acuden / Pablo Neruda

LOS RIOS ACUDEN

Amada de los ríos, combatida
por agua azul y gotas transparentes,
como un árbol de venas es tu espectro
de diosa oscura que muerde manzanas:
al despertar desnuda entonces,
eras tatuada por los ríos,
y en la altura mojada tu cabeza
llenaba el mundo con nuevos rocíos.
Te trepidaba el agua en la cintura.
Eras de manantiales construida
y te brillaban lagos en la frente.
De tu espesura madre recogías
el agua como lágrimas vitales,
y arrastrabas los cauces a la arena
a través de la noche planetaria,
cruzando ásperas piedras dilatadas,
rompiendo en el camino
toda la sal de la geología,
cortando bosques de compactos muros
apartando los músculos del cuarzo.

Pablo Neruda - (La lámpara en la tierra / Canto General)





ENTRANCE OF THE RIVERS

Beloved of the rivers, beset
by azure water and transparent drops,
like a tree of veins your spectre
of dark goddess biting apples:
and then awaking naked
to be tattooed by the rivers,
and in the wet heights your head
filled the world with new dew.
Water rose to your waist.
you are made of wellsprings
and lakes shone on your forehead.
From your source of density you drew
water like vital tears
and hauled the river-beds to the sand
across the planetary night,
crossing rough, dilated stone,
breaking down on the way
all the salt of geology,
cutting through forests of compact walls,
dislodging the muscles of quartz.

Pablo Neruda - (A Lamp on Earth / General Song)





THE RIVERS COME FORTH

Lover of the rivers, assailed
by blue water and transparent drops,
like a veined tree your specter
of a dark goddess that eats apples:
when you awakened, naked,
you were tattooed by the rivers,
and in the wet heights your head
filled the world with fresh dew.
Water trembled on your waist.
You were shaped by fountainheads
and lakes glistened on your brow.
From your maternal density you gathered
the water like vital tears,
dredged the sandy riverbeds
through the planetary night,
traversing harsh dilated stones,
shattering on your way
all the salt of geology,
cutting forests of compact walls,
sundering the quartz's muscles.

Pablo Neruda - (A Lamp on Earth / General Song)

Translated by Jack Schmitt





THE RIVERS EMERGE

Adored by the rivers, assailed
by blue water and transparent drops,
your spectrum of a dark goddess is
like a tree of veins which bites apples:
so then, at your awakening, naked
you were tattooed by the rivers,
and in the wet heights your forehead
filled the world with fresh dew.
The water trembled at your waist.
You were shaped by springs
and lakes shined on your face.
With your maternal vegetation you gathered
the water like vital tears,
you pulled the river beds to the sand
throughout the planetary night,
traversing rough dilated stones,
through the path smashing
all of geology’s salt,
cutting the compact walls of forests,
dislodging quartz’s muscles.

Pablo Neruda - (A Lamp on Earth / General Song)

Translated by Mark Eisner





IRMAKLAR ÇAĞILDAR GİDER

Irmakların sevdiği hayaletin bir ağacın
damarları gibi, uğramış saldırısına
mavi suyun ve berrak damlaların:
Kara tanrıçanın elmaları dişlemesi;
çıplak uyandığında baktın ki
dövme yapmış ırmaklar gövdene,
ve yeryüzünün nemli tepelerinde
taze çiyle doldu kafan.
Kasıklarında titreşti su.
Kaynaklardan yaratıldın sen
ve ışıdı göller alnında.
Ana gibi sık çalılarla toparladın suyu
hayat veren damlalarca,
ve gezegenin gecesi boyunca sürükledin
dere yataklarını kuma doğru,
geçerek yaban, uzamış taş yığınlarını
ezerek kendi yolunda
bütün coğrafyanın tuzunu,
düşürdün ormanların sıkı duvarlarına
ve işaretledin kuvarsın kaslarını.

Pablo Neruda

Çeviren: İsmail Haydar Aksoy

[“Evrensel Şarkı”nın birinci bölümü “Yeryüzündeki Lamba”dan]

The Tetons and the Snake River, 1942, by Ansel Adams