I've been asked by a few friends/family members to share some Spanish poetry. I haven't left for the trip yet but I wanted to share one of my favourite poems by a man named San Juan de la Cruz (1542-1591), called La Noche Oscura del Alma. Before we get to the poem I think it's important to first understand the difficulty of translating a poem. There are two main elements in reading poetry, namely, the meaning and the sound. The meaning, that is, the words, syntax, grammar, pronunciation (to a certain extent), and certain connotations of words, can be translated with a fair amount of accuracy. The part that gets tricky is when one tries to get the meaning as close as possible but also make it sound like the original. This includes things like rhyme scheme, syllables, lines, metre, alliteration, and really the mood of the poem. Most linguists and philologists would much prefer a prose translation that gets closer to the meaning to trying to approximate the sounds with equivalents in the translated language so I have chosen here to include a prose translation done by Loreena McKenitt with the original Spanish/Castillian. St. John of the Cross himself has written two books on this poem, explaining its meaning as a metaphor of a soul that unites with God. I figure most will read it in English so I made the Spanish/Castillian smaller to conserve space:
San Juan de la Cruz
En una noche oscura
En una noche oscura,
con ansias, en amores inflamada,
¡oh dichosa ventura!,
salí sin ser notada,
estando ya mi casa sosegada;
a escuras y segura
por la secreta escala, disfrazada,
¡oh dichosa ventura!,
a escuras y encelada,
estando ya mi casa sosegada;
en la noche dichosa,
en secreto, que naide me veía
ni yo miraba cisa,
sin otra luz y guía
sino la que en el corazón ardía.
Aquesta me guiaba
más cierto que la luz del mediodía
adonde me esperaba
quien yo bien me sabía
en parte donde naide parecía.
¡Oh noche que guiaste!
¡oh noche amable más que la alborada!;
¡oh noche que juntaste,
Amado con amada,
amada en el Amado transformada!
En mi pecho florido,
que entero para él solo se guardaba,
allí quedó dormido,
y yo le regalaba,
y el ventalle de cedros aire daba.
El aire del almena,
cuando yo sus cabellos esparcía,
con su mano serena
en mi cuello hería,
y todos mis sentidos suspendía.
Quedéme y olvidéme,
el rostro recliné sobre el Amado;
cesó todo y dejéme,
dejando mi cuidado
entre las azucenas olvidado.
St. John of the Cross
On a dark night
Kindled in love with yearnings
--oh, happy chance!--
I went forth without being observed,
My house being now at rest.
By the secret ladder, disguised
--oh, happy chance!--
In darkness and in concealment,
My house being now at rest.
In secret, when none saw me,
Nor I beheld aught,
Without light or guide,
save that which burned in my heart.
More surely than the light of noonday
To the place where he
(well I knew who!) was awaiting me
-- A place where none appeared.
Oh, night more lovely than the dawn,
Oh, night that joined
Beloved with lover,
Lover transformed in the Beloved!
Kept wholly for himself alone,
There he stayed sleeping,
and I caressed him,
And the fanning of the cedars made a breeze.
As I parted his locks;
With his gentle hand
He wounded my neck
And caused all my senses to be suspended.
My face I reclined on the Beloved.
All ceased and I abandoned myself,
Leaving my cares
forgotten among the lilies.
On a dark night,
In darkness and secure,
In the happy night,
This light guided me
Oh, night that guided me,
Upon my flowery breast,
The breeze blew from the turret
I remained, lost in oblivion;
Pax & Bonum,
Sean
