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Poem

Miguel Iriarte

FRIDAY\'S FRUIT

With the cry interrupting the progress of the afternoon
With the voice singing the lottery of the orchards
With the black uvula filling the streets with Africa
Announcing from the bottom
                                                     (of your soul),
From the door between the Oak and the Palm-tree,
The delight which melts its flesh in my mouth
Flooded by a rough milk of blunt vegetable taste
Staying on my lips as much as in my memory.

With you the unexpected day arrived
It is Passion Friday for my mouth
And it already begins well, your breast shaking
In the air and the recent morning light,
Scattered before your arrival.

You undress in the cry of the entrance
You enumerate the sweets one by one with their charms
In a curve of the vendor’s cry appear coconuts and the anise of joy
And Jesus would like to be here to say to you
                                                                               in passing
How nice it would be to change his cross
For that fruit of yours
Even though he has not yet seen anything.

Not what I
When discovering who you are
Naked spirit of passion and of time
Made into sweet saliva in the thirst of my mouth
And that trepidation in which the world
                                                                              is left
So in the dark again.

You come from the sun-bathed horizon of the entrance
With the fruit in the cry gone to the head
And you walk on the narrow path of Cayenne
So they’d better not look at you.

And you go on as far as the center of my legs
Without minding the eyes
                                                 of the children next door
who even now inspire in you
the fear and wonder of their future desire
and may forget their kites to see your skirt blown up.
Nor the girls
— paralysed —
Who suffer from their paleness and envy
The assurance of your brown gait.

I only cross myself
                With your hand
And remain looking long at the world
In the half-opened fruit of this afternoon which is Friday.

LA FRUTA DEL VIERNES

LA FRUTA DEL VIERNES

Con el grito que suspende el proceso de la tarde
Con esa voz que canta la dulce lotería de los frutales
Con el galillo negro que llena de Africa las calles
Anuncias desde el fondo
                                             (de tu alma),
desde la puerta entre el Roble y la Palmera,
Esa delicia que deshace sus carnes en mi boca
Que se inunda en una leche áspera de brusco gusto vegetal
Y dura en mis labios igual que en la memoria.

Contigo llega este día que no esperaba
Es viernes de pasión para mi boca
Y ya comienza bien con tus senos temblando
en el aire y en la reciente luz de la mañana,
antes de tú llegar, dispersos.

Te desnudas en el grito de la entrada
Enumeras los dulces uno a uno con sus gracias
En una curva del pregón aparecen el coco y el anís de la alegría
Y Jesús quisiera estar aquí para decirte 
                                                                           al pasar
Lo bello que sería cambiar su cruz
Por esa fruta tuya.
Y eso que él no ha visto nada todavía.!

No lo que yo
Cuando descubro que eres
espíritu desnudo de la pasión y el tiempo
hecho saliva dulce en la sed de mi boca
y ese estremecimiento en el que el mundo 
                                                                               queda
tan a obscuras de nuevo.

Vienes desde el horizonte soleado de la entrada
Con la fruta en el grito subido a la cabeza
Y andas el delgado sendero de Cayenas
Que mejor no te miran.

Y sigues hasta el centro de mis piernas
Sin importar que los ojos 
                                              de los niños vecinos,
que te dan desde ahora
el miedo y el asombro de su deseo futuro,
olviden sus cometas por ver volar tu falda.
Ni las muchachas
— paralizadas —
Que sufren desde su palidez y envidia
El desparpajo de tu andar moreno.

Yo sólo me persigno
                                    Con tu mano
Y me quedo mirando el mundo largamente
En la fruta entreabierta de esta tarde que es viernes.
Close

FRIDAY\'S FRUIT

With the cry interrupting the progress of the afternoon
With the voice singing the lottery of the orchards
With the black uvula filling the streets with Africa
Announcing from the bottom
                                                     (of your soul),
From the door between the Oak and the Palm-tree,
The delight which melts its flesh in my mouth
Flooded by a rough milk of blunt vegetable taste
Staying on my lips as much as in my memory.

With you the unexpected day arrived
It is Passion Friday for my mouth
And it already begins well, your breast shaking
In the air and the recent morning light,
Scattered before your arrival.

You undress in the cry of the entrance
You enumerate the sweets one by one with their charms
In a curve of the vendor’s cry appear coconuts and the anise of joy
And Jesus would like to be here to say to you
                                                                               in passing
How nice it would be to change his cross
For that fruit of yours
Even though he has not yet seen anything.

Not what I
When discovering who you are
Naked spirit of passion and of time
Made into sweet saliva in the thirst of my mouth
And that trepidation in which the world
                                                                              is left
So in the dark again.

You come from the sun-bathed horizon of the entrance
With the fruit in the cry gone to the head
And you walk on the narrow path of Cayenne
So they’d better not look at you.

And you go on as far as the center of my legs
Without minding the eyes
                                                 of the children next door
who even now inspire in you
the fear and wonder of their future desire
and may forget their kites to see your skirt blown up.
Nor the girls
— paralysed —
Who suffer from their paleness and envy
The assurance of your brown gait.

I only cross myself
                With your hand
And remain looking long at the world
In the half-opened fruit of this afternoon which is Friday.

FRIDAY\'S FRUIT

With the cry interrupting the progress of the afternoon
With the voice singing the lottery of the orchards
With the black uvula filling the streets with Africa
Announcing from the bottom
                                                     (of your soul),
From the door between the Oak and the Palm-tree,
The delight which melts its flesh in my mouth
Flooded by a rough milk of blunt vegetable taste
Staying on my lips as much as in my memory.

With you the unexpected day arrived
It is Passion Friday for my mouth
And it already begins well, your breast shaking
In the air and the recent morning light,
Scattered before your arrival.

You undress in the cry of the entrance
You enumerate the sweets one by one with their charms
In a curve of the vendor’s cry appear coconuts and the anise of joy
And Jesus would like to be here to say to you
                                                                               in passing
How nice it would be to change his cross
For that fruit of yours
Even though he has not yet seen anything.

Not what I
When discovering who you are
Naked spirit of passion and of time
Made into sweet saliva in the thirst of my mouth
And that trepidation in which the world
                                                                              is left
So in the dark again.

You come from the sun-bathed horizon of the entrance
With the fruit in the cry gone to the head
And you walk on the narrow path of Cayenne
So they’d better not look at you.

And you go on as far as the center of my legs
Without minding the eyes
                                                 of the children next door
who even now inspire in you
the fear and wonder of their future desire
and may forget their kites to see your skirt blown up.
Nor the girls
— paralysed —
Who suffer from their paleness and envy
The assurance of your brown gait.

I only cross myself
                With your hand
And remain looking long at the world
In the half-opened fruit of this afternoon which is Friday.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère