Romance a Una Tejedora Manabita

Romance to a Manabita Weaver

Romance a Una Tejedora Manabita

With a mold of hopeCon una horma de esperanza
And fingers like sweet cloverY dedos de clavellina
She weaves her hatVa tejiendo su sombrero
The prettiest ManabitaLa manabita más linda

How fine are the threadsQue finas que son las hebras
So delicate like her own selfTan finas como ella misma
Oh, to be Horacio HidrovoAy quien fuera horacio hidrovo
Or the hive of her poetryO el panal de su poesia

To sing to you in scentsPara cantarte en aromas
A song of toquillaUna canción de toquilla
Tell me, lovely ManabitaDime linda manabita
Is it true that in your watchful nightsSi es verdad que en tus vigilias

You weave with thin watersTejes con aguas delgadas
Or crystallize in diamondsO en diamantes cristalizas
That hat so lightEse sombrero tan leve
That more than a hat, it’s a breezeQue más que sombrero es brisa

Or is it that your petal-like fingersO es que tus dedos de pétalos
Of roses, nard, and liliesDe rosas nardos y lirios
Are weaving a hatEstán tejiendo un sombrero
With rays of Indian moonlightCon rayos de Luna india

Tell me why, performing miraclesDi porque haciendo milagros
Your eyes still don’t see meAun tus ojos no me miran
In an altar of tamarindsEn altar de tamarindos
Among gold, incense, and myrrhEntre oro incienso y mirra

Or is it perhaps to stealO es que acaso por robar
From the creator his wondersAl creador sus maravillas
With which he wove the starsCon que tejió las estrellas
From the altars they take you awayDe los altares te quitan

And they imprison you jealouslyY te encarcelan celosas
The bars of EucharistLas rejas de eucaristía
But no!... Keep silent¡Pero no!... Guarda silencio
Don’t tell me your secretsTus secretos no me digas

Keep on with your mold of hopeSigue en tu horma de esperanza
Weaving dreams of syrupTejiendo sueños de almíbar
And whispering to quiet lipsY diciendo a labios quedo
Prayers of ambrosiaOraciones de ambrosía

Weave, weave, oh weaverTeje teje tejedora
With fingers like sweet cloverDe dedos de clavellina
Weave, oh weaverTeje tejedora
And tie my verses to your toquillaY une mis versos a tu toquilla