2 Jan 2013

POET'S CORNER - Poem

Here you find another poem that belongs to "Book of Britain-Cuaderno de Britania". This poem was written after visiting Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey. In this corner are buried many major English writers. One of them, T.S. Eliot. Most visitors stepped on his grave without considering the importance of his poetry at the universal level. This was very shocking to me and I decided to write this poem.


Poets' Corner
(Westminster Abbey)

                          This is the dead land.
                                    T.S. Eliot

Under the arches of vanity,
between the walls raised
with time of fear of fire and iron,
between the mists of superstition,
beyond the dumb stone that everything relates,
lies a nothing wider than the sea.
In prayer it hits my chest, in the smoke
dragging the wings of incense, in the eyes
quiet for not seeing what it happens,
the nothing endures as the voice of the sea.
In the corner where life was -and the word
was word stitched to the lapel of time-
in the area where sigh the tracks with the flower of silence,
the nothing writes with ash the origin of seas.
On the tomb of T.S. Eliot a thousand steps crosses
the slab stuck in the silence. Step his name
and follow the path of the fallen heroes.
In the sea of nothingness there are no voices or names.

3 comments:

  1. I didn´t know you were able to write in the best english style of best poetry. I love T.S.Eliot too. Besides Pessoa he´s for me, probably, the most profound and deep poet ever. Congratulations, Jose Luis. Long time ago we share literature in the distance. Me alegra mucho haberte reencontrado. Saludos.

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  2. Prezado José Luis,
    Escrevo por aqui por não ter encontrado seu e-mail. Traduzi sua poesia pela beleza e o prazer foi meu de reconhecer o seu talento. Na verdade gostaria de poder traduzir outros belos e bons poemas de poetas tão bons como você é. Traduzirei mais coisas suas e só posso dizer que gosto muito do que vi até agora do que escreve. Meus parabéns e sou um fã seu. Silvio Persivo

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  3. Apreciado Silvio: le escribo por aquí para seguir el diálogo iniciado, pero podemos continuar nuestra conversación por mi e-mail: jlgherrera@telefonica.net. Como le decía fue una sorpresa muy agradable encontrarme con su traduccíón de mi poema. Le estoy muy agradecido y, si lo desea, puedo enviarle algunos poemas míos (o poemas de poetas españoles que considero muy interesantes. El poema publicado en este blog es una traducción que hice al inglés de un poema mío con el mismo título y que pertenece a mi libro "Cuaderno de Britania". Es un placer enorme haberte conocido y recibe mi amistad y gratitud sinceras. Un abrazo. José Luis García Herrera

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