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From the Tower

by Francisco de Quevedo (1580-1645) | translated from Spanish by Elwin Wirkala

Retired to these deserts and at peace,
and with but few, though learnèd, books beside,
I live conversing now with the deceased,
and listen with my eyes to those who died.

Open, whether or not I miss their points,
they mend or fecundate my everything,
their music’s muted counterpoints when joined
with this life’s dream bespeak awakening.

Great Souls absented by mortality,
in death avenging injuries of years,
the learnèd press, Oh Josef, has set free!

Hours fled forever disappear,
but they are best accounted for in letters,
read and studied, when they make us better.

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Original Spanish

Desde la Torre

Retirado en la paz de estos desiertos,
Con pocos, pero doctos libros juntos,
Vivo en conversación con los difuntos,
Y escucho con mis ojos a los muertos.

Si no siempre entendidos, siempre abiertos,
O enmiendan, o fecundan mis asuntos;
Y en músicos callados contrapuntos
Al sueño de la vida hablan despiertos.

Las Grandes Almas que la Muerte ausenta,
De injurias de los años vengadora,
Libra, ¡oh gran Don Josef!, docta la Imprenta.

En fuga irrevocable huye la hora;
Pero aquélla el mejor cálculo cuenta,
Que en la lección y estudios nos mejora.

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Elwin Wirkala was in the Peace Corps in his early twenties and subsequently spent two plus decades in South America, gaining near native fluency in Portuguese and Spanish. He has translated Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s sonnets and the great Primer Sueño, on which he is writing a book.

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6 Responses

  1. DONALD PETER McCRORY

    A very good rendering of a difficult sonnet by one of Spain”s most famous sons of Golden Age literature. Known more for his prose eg, El Buscon, Quevedo’s poetry deserves greater recognition and study, in particular his “poesias amorosas”. We have to thank Elwin for reminding us of a brilliant mind whose work joins ranks with those of Luis de Gongora, Mateo Aleman and with the Novelas Ejemplares de Cervantes.

    Reply
  2. C.B Anderson

    If nothing else, this poem gives encouragement to the serious reader.

    Beyond that, the many felicitous English phrases are woven into an exquisite tapestry where every thread is dyed in the wool. Someone else will have to tell me whether it was the translation or the original that first reached this state.

    Reply
    • Elwin Wirkala

      Thank you, C.B. Anderson. A prof from the Autonomous U. of Mexico sent me the original, saying it was a favorite, and she was complimentary when I sent the translation…which is definitely not better than the original. By the way, the ‘Josef’ in the poem was Quevedo’s editor and friend.

      Reply
  3. Elwin Wirkala

    Thank you, Donald. I take it you are a reader of Spanish. I’m much enamored of the Spanish Golden Age, and a devotee of its last major figure, Sor Juana.
    Best wishes,
    Elwin

    Reply
  4. BDW

    Like Señor Wirkala, I am enamoured by El Siglo de Oro—o, for so many reasons; so I am happy he has brought forth his translation of a sonnet by Francisco de Quevedo, and such a nice, relatable one too, for its content, tone, assonance, rhetoric, and structure. One of the literary lines that led me to the bilding, and later, the tennos, was the Spanish line.

    Though my favourite Spanish sonnets are those of Argentine Modernist Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986), so many from El Siglo de Oro never fail to amaze with their extraordinary artistry, from Garcilaso de la Vega (c. 1501-1536) to Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1695). In my mind, it is nearly always good to be reminded of the splendid achievements of El Siglo de Oro, in both poetry and prose.

    Reply
    • Elwin Wirkala

      Hi BDW,
      Thank you for your encouraging comment, BDW. Hmmm…BDW sounds so familiar… : )
      I’m wondering if you’ve read Sor Juana’s “Primero Sueño”, which I’ve translated and am writing a book about. If you have, I’d like to find a way to exchange ideas about it. It’s my favorite poem in Spanish. I don’t know if I can publish my email here, but I’ll go for it: [email protected] . I wish we had a forum for back and forths (or maybe this is it). I’ve also translated Borges. Richard Wilbur did a terrific translation of ‘Everness’, really high impact admirable. Thanks for the note!

      Reply

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