Centre for Romanian Studies

Federico Garcia LORCA (1898-1936) – “Cântec călare”, “Canción de jinete”, “Rider’s Song”

Poetry in Translation (CLXV):
Federico Garcia LORCA (1898-1936) – “Cântec călare”, “Canción de jinete”, “Rider’s Song”

Cântec călare
Federico Garcia LORCA (1898-1936)

Cordoba.
Departe şi solitară.

Cal negru, lună plină,
hrana-n traistă.
Deşi cunosc drumul
totuşi, nu voi sosi la Cordoba.

Prin câmpii, prin vânt,
Cal negru, lună-ncinsă.
Moartea mă priveşte in faţă
din turnurile Cordobei.

Uite ce lung e drumul!
Uite ce aprig e calul!
Uite, Moartea m-aşteaptă
înainte s-ajung la Cordoba.

Cordoba.
Departe şi solitară.

(Rendered in Romanian by Constantin ROMAN, London,
© 2013 Copyright Constantin ROMAN)

* * * * * * *

Canción de jinete
Federico Garcia LORCA (1898-1936)

Córdoba.
Leiana y sola.

Jaca negra, luna grande,
y aceitunas en mi alforja.
Aunque sepa los caminos
yo nunca llegaré a Córdoba.

Por el llano, por el viento,
Jaca negra, luna roja.
La muerte me esta mirando
Desde las torres de Córdoba.

¡Ay qué camino tan largo!
¡Ay mi jaca valerosa!
¡Ay que la muerte me espera,
antes de llegar a Córdoba!

Córdoba.
Leiana y sola.

* * * * * * *

Rider’s Song
Federico Garcia LORCA (1898-1936)

Córdoba.
Far away and alone.

Black pony, big moon,
and olives in my saddle-bag.
Although I know the roads
I’ll never reach Córdoba.

Through the plain, through the wind,
black pony, red moon.
Death is looking at me
from the towers of Córdoba.

Ay! How long the road!
Ay! My valiant pony!
Ay! That death should wait me
before I reach Córdoba.

Córdoba.
Far away and alone.
—
Tr. Stephen Spender and J.L. Gili

* * * * * * *

federico_garcia_lorca

Bio Note & Commentary:

In “Rider’s Song,” one of his most popular short poems, García Lorca has written a parable about the unattainability of goals. The refrain that frames the poem, “Córdoba/ Far away and alone,” indicates in somber tones the rider’s destination.
Born near Granada in Fuente Vaqueros, Spain, to a prosperous farm owner and a pianist, prominent 20th-century Spanish poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca studied law at Sacred Heart University before relocating to Madrid in 1919 to focus on his writing. In Madrid he joined a group of avant-garde artists that included Salvador Dali and Luis Buñuel. The group, collectively known as the “Generation of ’27″, introduced Lorca to Surrealism, a movement that would greatly influence his writing.

Cordoba.
Departe şi solitară.