La Araucana

The Araucana

La Araucana

Arauco, thin fury,Arauco, furia delgada,
cup of gunpowder and blood,copa de pólvora y sangre,
poisoned strongholdciudadela envenenada
tearing at its fabric,desgarrando su ropaje,
fair wood mistreated by the gust and the kissfiel madera maltratada por la ráfaga y el beso
and the buried rage of your dead.y las furias enterradas de tus muertos.

Arauco, clear and solemnArauco, claro y solemne
extreme bastion of America,bastión extremo de América,
book of solid dust,libro de sólido polvo,
rough saltpeter flower,áspera flor salitrera,
dark vessel of ashesturbio vaso de cenizas
that we drink in vigilque bebemos en vigilia
to make of your fallenpara hacer de tus caídos
another spike,otra espiga,
fundamental,fundamental,
lovingamorosa
and whole.y plena.

The dark time of the snow has come,Vino el tiempo oscuro de las nevadas,
the iron, the swastika cross has come,vino el hierro, la cruz gamada,
the fire burning with screams has come,vino el fuego quemando a gritos,
the myth with its ambush has come,vino el mito con su emboscada,
the ambush with its present,la emboscada con su presente,
the present with its hollow,el presente con su hondonada,
the hollow of every race,la hondonada de toda raza,
the memory that fiercely binds,el recuerdo que ardiente enlaza,
but the rope that falls around the neckmas la soga que cae al cuello
and that moment that was so beautifuly ese instante que era tan bello
and the beautiful that was the strongy lo bello que fue lo fuerte
and the strong that was miney lo fuerte que era lo mío
and the mine that is so everyone’sy lo mío que es tan de todos
and tonight it softens me the wayy esta noche me ablanda el modo
of the peoples and their history,de los pueblos y de su historia,
that shatters their elusive glory,que les triza la esquiva gloria,
that kills their light in dreams,que les mata la luz en sueños,
that nails them in the middle of their efforts,que les clava en mitad de empeño,
that robs them of memory, oh.que les priva de la memoria, ay.

So much pain dripping from your stones.Tanto dolor goteando de tus piedras.
So much sullen fury disarmed.Tanto furor huraño desarmado.
So many thugs breaking your bones.Tanto rufián quebrándote los huesos.

So much patience in the face of so much death,Tanta paciencia frente a tanta muerte,
so much damned backstabbing.tanto maldito arándote la espalda.
They will mature calling us,Madurarán llamándonos,
they will mature naming us daily,madurarán nombrándonos a diario,
inflatinghinchándose
like a sail where the people blowcomo un velamen en que sopla el pueblo
their winged intuition,su alada intuición,
their claritysu claridad
fundamental,fundamental,
loving and whole.amorosa y plena.

The wind from the willows comes turning,Llega volteando el viento de los sauzales,
the word cracks the evils,la palabra agrieta los males,
a clear and simple book walks,se anda un libro claro y sencillo,
the loves burn like torrents,los amores arden caudales,
the plow writes its furrow,el arado escribe su surco,
the heron flies marking the time,vuela el urco puntuando el tiempo,
and is it perhaps a springy es acaso una primavera
that channels the living clock,la que encauza el reloj viviente,
that ruffles the whole earth,la que encrespa la tierra entera,
that hinders the indifferent,la que estorba al indiferente,
that prunes among the torrents,la que poda entre los raudales,
little by little the solid pain.poco a poco el dolor macizo.
The end of the night has taken its time,Ha tardado el fin de la noche,
it has stuck the spell on it,se ha pegado en ella el hechizo,
but having precise signspero habiendo signos precisos
in tree rings with earth,en anillos de árbol con tierra,
and existing tenacious proofs,y existiendo pruebas tenaces,
we already know there will be a warya sabemos que habrá una guerra
the time before urging peace, oh.el tiempo antes de urgir las paces, ay.

You will sprout for us,Nos brotarás,
you will sprout for us,nos brotarás,
you will sprout for us, Arauco,nos brotarás, Arauco,
like a red branch,como una rama roja,
hard,dura,
sullenhuraña
and full of blood and resentmenty llena de sangre y de rencor
striking deep.golpeando hondo.

Rise up,Levántate,
rise up,levántate,
rise up, Arauco,levántate, Arauco,
with an old hand where heroic dwellscon vieja mano donde mora heroica
the high pupil of the riflela alta pupila del fusil
lookingmirando
far.lejos.