Text & Translation
Jardín antiguo
Spanish source:
Luis Cernuda Bidón
Que tras los arcos de la tapia,
Entre magnolios, limoneros
Guarda el encanto de las aguas.
Oír de nuevo en el silencio
Vivo de trinos y de hojas,
El susurro tibio del aire
Donde las almas viejas flotan.
Ver otra vez el cielo hondo
A lo lejos, la torre esbelta
Tal flor de luz sobre las palmas:
Las cosas todas siempre bellas.
Sentir otra vez, como entonces,
La espina aguda del deseo,
Mientras la juventud pasada
Vuelve. Sueño de un dios sin tiempo.
Old Garden
English translation ©
Lorena Paz Nieto
That behind the arches of the wall,
Among the magnolias, the lemon trees,
Holds the enchantment of the waters.
To hear again in the silence
Alive with chirping and the leaves,
The warm whisper of the wind
On which old souls are floating.
To see again the deep sky,
Far away, the slender tower
Like a flower of light over the palm
trees:
Everything always beautiful.
To feel again, like then,
The sharp thorn of desire,
As past youthfulness
Returns. A dream of a god without
time.
Jardín antiguo
Spanish source:
Luis Cernuda Bidón
Old Garden
English source:
Lorena Paz Nieto
Ir de nuevo al jardín cerrado,
To go again to the closed garden
Que tras los arcos de la tapia,
That behind the arches of the wall,
Entre magnolios, limoneros
Among the magnolias, the lemon trees,
Guarda el encanto de las aguas.
Holds the enchantment of the waters.
Oír de nuevo en el silencio
To hear again in the silence
Vivo de trinos y de hojas,
Alive with chirping and the leaves,
El susurro tibio del aire
The warm whisper of the wind
Donde las almas viejas flotan.
On which old souls are floating.
Ver otra vez el cielo hondo
To see again the deep sky,
A lo lejos, la torre esbelta
Far away, the slender tower
Tal flor de luz sobre las palmas:
Like a flower of light over the palm
Las cosas todas siempre bellas.
trees:
Sentir otra vez, como entonces,
To feel again, like then,
La espina aguda del deseo,
The sharp thorn of desire,
Mientras la juventud pasada
As past youthfulness
Vuelve. Sueño de un dios sin tiempo.
Returns. A dream of a god without
Composer
Carlos Guastavino
Carlos Guastivino, one of the foremost Argentine composers of the 20th century, produced over 500 works in his lifetime, mostly for piano and voice. Read more here.
Poet
Luis Cernuda Bidón
Luis Cernuda Bidón was a Spanish poet and a member of the Generation of '27.