Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Juan Manuel Roca

The library of the blind

Entranced, at their tables of mahogany,
Some blind people go over the books like a piano,
The white books that describe
The Braille flowers of remote perfume,
The tactile night that caresses their fingers,
The mane of a colt amidst the rushes.
A scattering of words enters through the hands
And takes a sweet journey to the ear.
Bended over the paper’s snow
As if hearing the galloping silence
Or almost looking into the amazement, they caress the words
Like a musical instrument.
The evening falls from the other side of the mirror
And in the silent library
The steps of the night bring rumors of legend,
Rumors that reach the book’s banks.
Back from the amazement
the words still vibrate in their remembering fingers.

Biblioteca de Ciegos

Biblioteca de Ciegos

Absortos, en sus mesas de caoba,
Algunos ciegos recorren como a un piano
Los libros, blancos libros que describen
Las flores de Braille de remoto perfume,
La noche táctil que acaricia sus dedos,
Las crines de un potro entre los juncos.
Un desbande de palabras entra por las manos
Y hace un dulce viaje hasta el oído.
Inclinado sobre la nieve del papel
Como oyendo galopar el silencio
O casi asomados al asombro, acarician la palabra
Como un instrumento musical.
Cae la tarde del otro lado del espejo
Y en la silenciosa biblioteca
Los pasos de la noche traen rumores de leyenda,
Rumores que llegan hasta orillas del libro.
De regreso del asombro
Aún vibran palabras en sus dedos memoriosos.
Close

The library of the blind

Entranced, at their tables of mahogany,
Some blind people go over the books like a piano,
The white books that describe
The Braille flowers of remote perfume,
The tactile night that caresses their fingers,
The mane of a colt amidst the rushes.
A scattering of words enters through the hands
And takes a sweet journey to the ear.
Bended over the paper’s snow
As if hearing the galloping silence
Or almost looking into the amazement, they caress the words
Like a musical instrument.
The evening falls from the other side of the mirror
And in the silent library
The steps of the night bring rumors of legend,
Rumors that reach the book’s banks.
Back from the amazement
the words still vibrate in their remembering fingers.

The library of the blind

Entranced, at their tables of mahogany,
Some blind people go over the books like a piano,
The white books that describe
The Braille flowers of remote perfume,
The tactile night that caresses their fingers,
The mane of a colt amidst the rushes.
A scattering of words enters through the hands
And takes a sweet journey to the ear.
Bended over the paper’s snow
As if hearing the galloping silence
Or almost looking into the amazement, they caress the words
Like a musical instrument.
The evening falls from the other side of the mirror
And in the silent library
The steps of the night bring rumors of legend,
Rumors that reach the book’s banks.
Back from the amazement
the words still vibrate in their remembering fingers.
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère