The Desolate Love

Alberto Cortez

El Amor Desolado

Yo puse el esfuerzo
y ella la desgana.
Yo el hondo silencio
y ella la palabra,
Yo senda y camino
y ella la distancia.
Yo puse los ojos
y ella la mirada.

Quise entre mis manos
retener el agua
y sobre la arena
levanté mi casa.
Me quedé sin manos,
me quedé sin casa;
fui raíz oscura
y ella tronco y rama.

Para que la cuenta
del amor sumara,
ella puso el cuerpo,
yo el cuerpo y el alma.
Era toda viento,
yo todo montaña.
Yo pura resina,
y ella pura llama.

Una noche oscura
se fue de mi casa.
Cegaron mis ojos
para no mirarla.
Para no seguirla
cerré las ventanas.
Clausuré las puertas
para no llamarla.

Puse rosas negras
sobre nuestra cama.
Sobre su memoria
puse rosas blancas.
Y a la luz difusa
de la madrugada,
me quité la vida
para no matarla.

Yo lo puse todo,
vida, cuerpo y alma,
y ella, Dios lo sabe,
nunca puso nada.

The Desolate Love

I put in the effort
and she the reluctance.
I the deep silence
and she the word,
I path and way
and she the distance.
I put the eyes
and she the gaze.

I wanted to hold
the water in my hands
and on the sand
I built my house.
I was left without hands,
I was left without a house;
I was a dark root
and she trunk and branch.

So that the count
of love would add up,
she put the body,
I put the body and soul.
She was all wind,
I all mountain.
I pure resin,
and she pure flame.

One dark night
she left my house.
My eyes were blinded
to not see her.
To not follow her
I closed the windows.
I shut the doors
to not call her.

I put black roses
on our bed.
On her memory
I put white roses.
And in the faint light
of dawn,
I took my life
to not kill her.

I put everything,
life, body, and soul,
and she, God knows,
never put anything.

Escrita por: José F. Dicenta