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 threadsQué finas que son las hebras
As delicate as she isTan finas como ella misma
Oh, to be Horacio HidrovoAy, quién fuera Horacio Hidrovo
To give back his poetryVuelva a dar de su poesía

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 hoursSi es verdad que en tus vigilias

You weave with blessed watersTejes con aguas benditas
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, tuberoses, 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 por qué haciendo milagros
Your eyes still don’t look at meAún tus ojos no me miran
On 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
They take you from the altarsDe los altares te quitan

And jealous bars imprison youY te encarcelan celosas
The gates 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 quedos
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