Si quieres volar
Si quieres volar hazlo esta noche. Mientras eres joven. Si revisas la historia –grande o
pequeña- comprobarás que siempre ha sucedido así en todo inicio de aventura.
En cambio, el vuelo será peligroso si dejas pasar el tiempo. Es difícil saltar limpiamente
a través de la ventana. Esto debido a la falta de agilidad y decisión; debido a falta de
confianza en el manejo de los sueños. Es lamentable constatar cómo algunos tratan de
intentarlo con aleteos grotescos. Deberían enjaularlos con capa y todo.
Si quieres volar para saber de ti, para conocer la verdad y que nada se te esconda, vete;
parte esta noche, solo, lejos y no vuelvas jamás para no llorar de pena.
If You Want to Fly
If you want to fly, do it tonight. While you are young. If you consider history – large or
small – you will find that every adventure begins this way.
On the other hand, flight will be dangerous if you delay. This is due to a lack of agility
and decisiveness; to a lack of confidence in handling dreams. It’s unfortunate to see how
some attempt it with grotesque flapping. They should cage them up, capes and all.
If you want to fly to get to know yourself, to know the truth and hide nothing, go; leave
tonight, alone, far away and never return to avoid crying of shame.
(From Día a día [Day to Day], 1990)
Desde otro mundo
Desde otro mundo, desde la altura del cerro. Desde la estrella. Tras la hilera de casas o
de naves, donde el viento tensa los alambres, donde no puede verse el mismo programa;
silenciosa, como pasos sobre el aire, sobre alfombras de pieza en pieza, allí vives; entre
sombras, entre la luz de tu sombra te recortas como habitante nuevo. Puedo hablar
contigo y encaminarme hacia la luz que se recoge estupefacta cuando avanzo, cuando
avanzo hacia tu encuentro, absolutamente seguro, como si existieras.
From Another World
From another world, from the top of the hill. From the star. Behind the row of houses or
ships, where the wind tenses the wires, where the same cannot be seen; silently, like
footsteps on the air, over rugs from room to room, there you live; in shadows, between
the light of your shadow you’re silhoutted like a new inhabitant. I can talk with you,
and set out for the light that withdraws stupefied as I advance, as I advance towards you,
with absolute certainty, as if you existed.
(From Día a día [Day to Day], 1990)
15
“Noche, del latín nocte; éste del griego nyntos; y éste, a su vez, del
sanscrito nakta. En alemán se dice nacht; en inglés, night; en
italiano, notte; en portugués, noite; en francés, nuit; en
catalán, nit; en walón, nute”.
En Chile la noche es eterna.
15
“Night, from the Latin nocte; this from the Greek nyntos; and this, in
turn, from the sanscrit nakta. In German it’s nacht; in English,
night; in Italian, notte; in Portuguese, noite; in French,
nuit; in Catalan, nit; in Walun, nute”.
In Chile night is eternal.
(From La noche [The Night], 1999)
16
Por motivos políticos la autoridad desterró al poeta. Ya viejo se le hizo saber que si daba
muestras de arrepentimiento le sería permitido volver a la patria.
Nunca, contestó Dante.
Por siglos Florencia ha solicitado a Ravena la devolución de los restos del poeta y esta
ciudad ha contestado siempre igual: nunca.
Nunca seremos capaces de contestar nunca.
16
For political reasons, the authorities banished the poet. In old age it was made known to
him that if he showed signs of repentance, he would be allowed back to the fatherland.
Never, Dante replied.
For centuries Florence has sought from Ravena the return of the poet’s remains and the
city’s reply has always been the same: never.
We shall never be capable of answering never.
(From La noche [Night], 1999)
89
Un día vas a venir de visita, como de costumbre, y no me vas a encontrar. Para que ese
momento no suceda, también es posible que yo te pida antes que no vuelvas. Esta es la
duda que enfrentamos confiados en un tiempo que nos mira complacido, que nos acompaña a
distancia, invisible, a veces entre la niebla o bajo la luz del sol; pero conozco mi
tiempo y no confío en su trato y temo su genio y por ello prefiero proponerle un acuerdo:
quedarme contigo en este lugar de siempre aunque tú no me puedas ver.
89
One day you will come to visit, as is your custom, and you won’t find me. For this moment
not to happen, it’s also possible that I will ask you beforehand not to come back. This
is the doubt we face, trusting in a time that sees us relaxed and comfortable, which
accompanies us from afar, invisible, sometimes in the fog or the light of the sun; but I
know my time and I do not trust its manner and I fear its mood and because of this I
prefer to propose a bargain: stay in this place with you always, even if you can’t see me.
(From Las cosas nuevas [The New Things], 2011)
Sergio Holas-Véliz was born in the port town Valparaíso in Chile. His poetry has been published in
Babab (Spain),
Letralia (Venezuela),
Arena,
Social Alternatives and the
Australian Poetry Journal. He has published three poetry books,
Distancia cero (Cero Distance),
Ciudad dividida (Divided City), and
Paisajes en movimiento (Moving Landscapes), all published by Altazor Ediciones. He has also recently published
Poetry of the Earth: Mapuche Trilingual Anthology (Interactive Press, 2014), which he translated with Steve Brock and Juan Garrido Salgado. He currently teaches Spanish language and Latin American culture & literature at the University of Adelaide.
Steve Brock was born in Adelaide in 1971, where he lives with his wife and teenage daughter. In 1989, Brock lived in Argentina for a year on an AFS student exchange, and later majored in Spanish at Flinders University. He completed a PhD in contemporary Australian literature at Flinders in 2003. For the past decade he has worked in the public service as a speechwriter and policy officer. He published his first collection of poetry,
the night is a dying dog, in 2007 (Wakefield Press), and in 2009 received a grant from Arts SA for the completion of
Double Glaze (forthcoming with Five Islands Press). Brock is the co-translator with Sergio Holas and Juan Garrido-Salgado of the
Trilingual Mapuche Poetry Anthology (forthcoming with Interactive Press), and has published his poetry and translations from the Spanish in a range of journals.
