In composing August’s piece, I was reflecting on a poem of which I am very fond by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, his Sonnet No. 69, Tal vez no ser es ser sin que tú seas (Perhaps not to be is to be without your being). Much as with the poem by Antonio Machado to which I referred in my May piece, I find that Neruda’s words are difficult to translate well. The essence and sound of the Spanish language is so finely treated by Neruda that for me the English words fail to do the poem justice. Nonetheless, for me the beauty and relevance of Neruda’s words is undeniable, indeed palpable, even in translation. Here is Neruda’s poem..
Soneto LXIX
Tal vez no ser es ser sin que tú seas, | sin que vayas cortando el mediodía
como una flor azul, sin que camines | más tarde por la niebla y los ladrillos,
sin esa luz que llevas en la mano | que tal vez otros no verán dorada,
que tal vez nadie supo que crecía | como el origen rojo de la rosa,
sin que seas, en fin, sin que vinieras | brusca, incitante, a conocer mi vida,
ráfaga de rosal, trigo del viento,
y desde entonces soy porque tú eres, | y desde entonces eres, soy y somos,
y por amor seré, serás, seremos.
Sonnet 69
Perhaps not to be is to be without your being, | without your going that cuts the noon light
like a blue flower, without your passing | later through the fog and cobbles,
without that light which you carry in your hand | that others may not see as golden,
that perhaps no one knew was blossoming | like the red beginnings of the rose,
without, in the end, your being, your coming |suddenly, inspiringly, to know my life,
blaze of the rose-tree, wheat of the wind:
and since then I am because you are, | since then you are, I am, we are,
and through love I will be, you will be, we will be.
My piece for August is called "Perhaps not to be is to be without your being ("La flor azul")"
I hope you enjoy. Thank you all again for your continued and very much valued support in my Project.
Thank you also for your very kind comments about my piece from last year called “Inspiration” which I was pleased to upload during July and which you can watch here. “Inspiration” might better have been “perspiration” during last week’s hot temperatures in England when I completed the upload. The effect of the heat certainly gave rise to a few “moments to be” as my July 2012 Project piece had contemplated. I will be uploading videos for a few of my other pieces from last year very soon, so please do visit again soon:
http://www.youtube.com/user/nmbr1dragon.
With best wishes
Anna Ferro - August 2012