Louise Glück

12.
The assignment was to fall in love.
The details were up to you.
The second part was
to include in the poem certain words,
words drawn from a specific text
on another subject altogether.

12.
La tarea era enamorarse.
Los detalles dependían de uno.
La segunda parte era
incluir palabras en el poema,
palabras que se tomaban de un texto concreto
que trataba de otra cosa.

13.
Spring rain, then a night in summer.
A man's voice, then a woman's voice.

You grew up, you were struck by lightning.
When you opened your eyes, you were wired forever to your true love.

It only happened once. Then you were taken care of,
your story was finished.

It happened once. Being struck was like being vaccinated;
the rest of your life you were immune,
you were warm and dry.

Unless the shock wasn't deep enough.
Then you weren't vaccinated, you were addicted.

13.
Lluvia de primavera, después una noche de verano.
Una voz de hombre, después una voz de mujer.

Creciste, fuiste alcanzada por el relámpago.
Al abrir los ojos, te ataste para siempre a tu verdadero amor.

Sólo pasa una vez. Después se te cuida,
se termina tu historia.

Sólo pasa una vez. Ser alcanzado es como una vacuna,
el resto de tu vida inmune,
seca y caliente.

A menos que el golpe no fuera tan profundo.
No como una vacuna, como una adicción.

14.
The assignment was to fall in love.
The author was female.
The ego had to be called the soul.

The action took place in the body.
Stars represented everything else: dreams, the mind, etc.

The beloved was identified
with the self in a narcissistic projection.
The mind was a subplot. It went nattering on.

Time was experienced
less as narrative than ritual.
What was repeated had weight.

Certain endings were tragic, thus acceptable.
Everything else was failure.

14.
La tarea era enamorarse.
El autor una mujer.
El ego se llamaba alma.

La acción acontecía en el cuerpo.
Las estrellas representaban todo lo demás: sueños, la mente, etc.

El amado se identificaba
con el propio ser en una proyección narcisista.
La mente una subtrama. Se embellecía.

El tiempo se experimentaba
más como ritual que como narrativa.
Lo repetido ganaba peso.

Ciertos finales fueron trágicos, por eso aceptables.
Todo lo demás, fracaso.

15.
Deceit. Lies. Embellishments we call
hypotheses-

There were too many roads, too many versions.
There were too many roads, no one path-

And at the end?

15.
Engaño. Mentira. Embellecimientos que llamamos
hipótesis.

Demasiados caminos, demasiadas versiones.
Demasiados caminos, ningún sendero.

¿Y al final?