La Reina/ The Queen

Poet: Pablo Neruda

Yo te he nombrando reina.
Hay más altas que tú, más altas.
Hay más puras que tú, más puras.
Hay más bellas que tú, hay más bellas.

Ero tú eres la reina

Cuando vas por las calles
nadie te reconoce.
Nadie ve tú corona de cristal, nadie mira
la alfombra de oro rojo
que pisas cuando pasas,
la alfrombra que no existe.

Y cuando asomas
suenan todos los ríos
en mi cuerpo, sacuden
el cielo las campanas,
y un himno llena el mundo

Sóló tú y yo,
sóló tú y yo, amor mío,
lo escuchamos.

English Translation: Anna Öberg

I have appointed you Queen.
There are those more slender than you, more slender.
There are those purer than you, purer.
There are those fairer than you, fairer.

But you are Queen.

As you walk the streets
Nobody recognizes you.
Nobody sees your crown of crystal, nobody notices
The red and gold carpet
You tread wherever you go,
The carpet that does not exist.

And when you appear
All the rivers
Of my body ripple, bells
Make the skies tremble
And a song of praise fills the world.

Only you and I,
Only you and I, my love,
Can hear it.

Quiero que sepas/ If You Forget Me

Poet: Pablo Neruda

Quiero que sepas
una cosa.

Tú sabes cómo es esto:
si miro
la luna de cristal, la rama roja
del lento otoño en mi ventana,
si toco
junto al fuego
la impalpable ceniza
o el arrugado cuerpo de la leña,
todo me lleva a ti,
como si todo lo que existe:
aromas, luz, metales,
fueran pequeños barcos que navegan
hacia las islas tuyas que me aguardan.

Ahora bien,
si poco a poco dejas de quererme
dejaré de quererte poco a poco.

Si de pronto
me olvidas
no me busques,
que ya te habré olvidado.

Si consideras largo y loco
el viento de banderas
que pasa por mi vida
y te decides
a dejarme a la orilla
del corazón en que tengo raíces,
piensa
que en esa día,
a esa hora
levantaré los brazos
y saldrán mis raíces
a buscar otra tierra.

Pero

si cada día,
cada hora,
sientes que a mí estás destinada
con dulzura implacable,

si cada día sube
una flor a tus labios a buscarme,

ay amor mío, ay mía,

en mí todo ese fuego se repite,
en mí nada se apaga ni se olvida,
mi amor se nutre de tu amor, amada,
y mientras vivas estará en tus brazos

sin salir de los míos.

English Translation

I want you to know one thing.

You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.

If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.

If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.

But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine.

Muere Lentamente/ Who Dies/ Cine Moare

Poem: Pablo Neruda

Muere lentamente quien se transforma en esclavo del hábito,
repitiendo todos los días los mismos trayectos,
quien no cambia de marca,
no arriesga vestir un color nuevo
y no le habla a quien no conoce.

Muere lentamente quien evita una pasión,
quien prefiere el negro sobre blanco
y los puntos sobre las "íes"
a un remolino de emociones,
justamente las que rescatan el brillo de los ojos,
sonrisas de los bostezos,
corazones a los tropiezos y sentimientos.

Muere lentamente quien no voltea la mesa
cuando está infeliz en el trabajo,
quien no arriesga lo cierto por lo incierto
para ir detrás de un sueño,
quien no se permite por lo menos una vez en la vida,
huir de los consejos sensatos.

Muere lentamente quien no viaja,
quien no lee,
quien no oye música,
quien no encuentra gracia en sí mismo.

Muere lentamente quien destruye su amor propio,
quien no se deja ayudar.

Muere lentamente,
quien pasa los días quejándose de su mala suerte
o de la lluvia incesante.

Muere lentamente,
quien abandona un proyecto antes de iniciarlo,
no preguntando de un asunto que desconoce
o no respondiendo cuando le indagan sobre algo que sabe.

Evitemos la muerte en suaves cuotas,
recordando siempre que estar vivo
exige un esfuerzo mucho mayor
que el simple hecho de respirar.

Solamente la ardiente paciencia
hará que conquistemos una espléndida felicidad.

English Translation

Dies slowly he who transforms himself in slave of habit,
repeating every day the same itineraries,
who does not change brand,
does not risk to wear a new color and doesn't talk to whom doesn't know.

Dies slowly he who makes of television his guru.

Dies slowly he who avoids a passion,
who prefers black to white
and the dots on the "i" to a whirlpool of emotions,
just those ones that recover the gleam from the eyes,
smiles from the yawns,
hearts from the stumbling and feelings.

Dies slowly he who does not overthrow the table when is unhappy at work,
who does not risk the certain for the uncertain
to go toward that dream that is keeping him awake.

Who does not allow, at least one time in life, to flee from sensate advises.

Dies slowly he who does not travel, does not read,
does not listen to music, who does not find grace in himself.

Dies slowly he who destroys his self love,
who does not accept somebody's help.

Dies slowly he who passes his days complaining of his bad luck or the incessant rain.

Dies slowly he who abandons a project before starting it,
who does not ask over a subject that does not know
or who does not answer when being asked about something he knows.

Dies slowly he who does not share his emotions, joys and sadness,
who does not trust, who does not even try.

Dies slowly he who does not relive his memories
and continues getting emotional as if living them at that moment.

Dies slowly he who does not intent excelling,
who does not learn from the stones of the road of life,
who does not love and let somebody love.

Let's avoid death in soft quotes,
remembering always that to be alive demands an effort much bigger
that the simple fact of breathing.

Romanian Translation

Moare cate putin cine se transforma in sclavul
obisnuintei, urmand in fiecare zi aceleasi
traiectorii; cine nu-si schimba existenta; cine nu
risca sa construiasca ceva nou; cine nu vorbeste cu
oamenii pe care nu-i cunoaste.

Moare cate putin cine-si face din televiziune un guru.
Moare cate putin cine evita pasiunea, cine prefera
negrul pe alb si punctele pe "i" in locul unui
vartej de emotii, acele emotii care invata ochii sa staluceasca,
oftatul sa surada si care elibereaza sentimentele inimii.

Moare cate putin cine nu pleaca atunci cand este
nefericit in lucrul sau; cine
nu risca certul pentru incert pentru a-si indeplini un vis; cine
nu-si permite macar o data in viata sa nu asculte sfaturile
"responsabile". Moare cate putin cine nu calatoreste; cine nu
citeste; cine nu asculta muzica; cine nu cauta harul din el insusi.

Moare cate putin cine-si distruge dragostea; cine nu se lasa ajutat
Moare cate putin cine-si petrece zilele plangandu-si de mila si
detestand ploaia care nu mai inceteaza. Moare cate putin cine
abandoneaza un proiect inainte de a-l fi inceput; cine nu intreaba
de frica sa nu se faca de ras si cine nu raspunde chiar daca
cunoaste intrebarea. Evitam moartea cate putin, amintindu-ne
intotdeauna ca "a fi viu" cere un efort mult mai mare decat simplul
fapt de a respira. Doar rabdarea cuminte ne va face sa cucerim o
fericire splendida. Totul depinde de cum o traim... Daca va fi sa te
infierbanti, infierbanta-te la soare Daca va fi sa inseli,
inseala-ti stomacul. Daca va fi sa plangi, plange de bucurie. Daca va
fi sa minti, minte in privinta varstei tale. Daca va fi sa furi, fura
o sarutare. Daca va fi sa pierzi, pierde-ti frica. Daca va fi sa simti
foame, simte foame de iubire. Daca va fi sa doresti sa fii fericit,
doreste-ti in fiecare zi...