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Tomorrow’s Poets
by Enrique González Martínez (1871-1952)
translated by Cheryl Corey
Tomorrow’s poets will sing beyond all praise
In verse that’s out of tune with present day;
New stars will bring new destinies that raise
A shiver of delight in restless souls.
Tomorrow’s poets will tread a path unworn,
Absorbed in ignorance and curious tongues;
And when they hear our song, they’ll quickly scorn
And toss our old illusion to the winds.
And all shall be for naught, and all in vain;
But some things never change: the youthful lust,
The mysteries of life, the heartfelt pain.
Before the shades of death that wax and wane,
They’ll shake the once-abandoned lyre of dust,
And sing with her our selfsame sad refrain.
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Original Spanish
Mañana los poetas
Mañana los poetas cantarán en divino
verso que no logramos entonar los de hoy;
nuevas constelaciones darán otro destino
a sus almas inquietas con un nuevo temblor.
Mañana los poetas seguirán su camino
absortos en ignota y extraña floración,
y al oir nuestro canto, con desdén repentino
echarán a los vientos nuestra vieja illusión.
Y todo será inútil, y todo será en vano;
será el afán de siempre y el idéntico arcano
y la misma tiniebla dentro del corazón.
Y ante la eterna sombra que surge y se retira,
recogerán del polvo la abandonada lira
y cantarán con ella nuestra misma canción.
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Cheryl Corey is a Connecticut poet. She is also an author of short stories, a novella, and recently completed a novel.
Very nice! Reminds me of the book of Ecclesiastes. Some things really never change, no matter the language or time period.
Cheryl, you’ve absorbed the Gonzalez Martinez poem and flown with it. If anything, you are tougher on the future than he is. Yet your English idioms are in excellent accord with his words and his thought, and with a light touch of restructuring, you’ve created an impressive English poem. This is a splendid meditation for poets of any period.
Thank you, Margaret. I was unfamiliar with this poet and discovered that he was a brilliant man – a trained physician, Professor of Literature, and foreign service diplomat – a real Renaissance man. When I came across this sonnet I thought – Wow! He really nailed it, and I knew that I had to attempt a translation.
I can’t vouch for the translation, Cheryl, since I only know, roughly, about twenty Spanish words, most of which are of Mexican origin, but I loved the sound of it, in whatever sense you want to take that.
as per Cesal Dwe Uribe:
SCP is fortunate, very fortunate, to have Ms. Corey’s presentation of “Mañana los poetas”, though I may wonder at her diction, from absence of divine in L1 to the introduction of sad in L14. Her translation brings forth much of the power of González Martínez’ lines. In a busy World, its so nice to pause and view such lovely gems.
The Mexican Modernist poet González Martínez was noted for his sonnet “Tuércele el cuello al cisne de engañoso plumaje”, id est, “Wring the neck of the swan with the deceiving plumage…” Drawn to his work in my early years, it is good to reflect upon his work anew, especially this sonnet. Here I betray my own present propensities these days, when I say I prefer Spanish sonnets to English sonnets, even while being critical of them as well.