FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA (1898 ~ 1936) Is my favourite SPANISH POET. He was assassinated in the Spanish Civil War for His Left Wing Associations. I studied his Poetry for Spanish A-Level and have translated several of His Poems. La Giutarra is one of my favourites. My MUSE was stirred by a line in UNSUB*S Poem *Giutarist* yesterday. That how MPS operates !
The Guitar begins to weep ~ mournfully
Causing stirrings of Dawn to be silenced.
It weeps incessantly ~ as water weeps
As wind weeps ~ over the Fields of Snow
It is impossible to silence it !
The Guitar weeps for lost & distant things
Hot Southern Sands & White Camelias
It is impossible to silence it !
Weeps for ~ Arrow sans Target ~ Evening sans Dawn
First dead sparrow on the branch ~ Oh Guitar
Your Heart is mortally wounded ~ by My
Five fingers plucking your strings mournfully !
When the Guitar begins to weep ~ sadly
It is impossible to to silence it !
This translation is presented as a 8 4 2 Blank Verse (iambic pentameter ~ 10 syllables per line) Sonnet. *It is impossible to silence it* is a key line showing the futility of trying to stop the pain and it is repeated in line 5 8 & 14. In my (Sonnet) Arrangement of the Original it occurs ~ twice in Line 4 & once in Line 7. Lorcas poems are not easy to translate into Poetic English (rather than prose) and preserve the Pathos !
Spanish Version written as a 4 3 5 2 Sonnet ~ Angela
Empieza el llanto de la Guitarra
Se rompen las copas de la madrugada
Empieza el llanto de la Guitarra
Es inutil callaria - Es impossible callaria !
LLora monotona como llora el agua
Como llora el viento sobre la nevada.
Es impossible callaria !
Llora por cosas lejanas
Arena del Sur caliente
Que pide camilias blancas
Llora fiecha sin bianco ~ la tarde sin manana
Y el primer pajaro muerte sobre la rama.
Oh Giutarra ! Carazon malherido
Por cinco espadas !
Normally a Spanish Flamenco Guitar has SIX strings ! These six strings are plucked and hammered ~ by the five fingers as is the Body of the Guitar ~ piercing its heart like five swords. Lorcas Poetry is very figurative ! Another translation reads more literally *Oh Guitar ~ Heart mortally wounded by five swords !* Because Mi Padre es Espanol ~ my Spanish Teacher never argued with my Translations ~ despite my first Language being English ! I was born & raised in London ! I am a FLAMENCO DANCER and BRIAN is learning to play the FLAMENCO GUITAR. It has a GOPEADOR which is a metal plate for the Guitarist to Hammer - Scratch - Tear - Wrench & Pummel to make it WEEP for CANTE JONDO (Deep Blues) the GUITAR really has to suffer ! Classical Guitarists are appalled by the way in which FLAMENCO GUITARISTS abuse their Instruments to get the Pathos they want ! This is what this awesome Poem is all about ~ AMEN !
Thanks for visiting comments welcome - Love Angela & Brian