When the Dark Shadow Falls
The best way to enjoy listening to this poem is to listen to the original Spanish version first
Cuando entre la Sombra Oscura
When the Dark Shadow Falls
Narrated by Steven Wittenberg Gordon, MD
by Gustavo Adolfo Becquer, translated by Steven Wittenberg Gordon, MD
| Cuando entre la Sombra Oscura | When the Dark Shadow Falls |
|---|---|
| Cuando entre la sombra oscura | When the dark shadow falls |
| perdida una voz murmura |
a lost voice murmurs
|
| turbando su triste calma, | disturbing your sad calm |
| si en el fondo de mi alma | if in the core of my being |
| la oigo dulce resonar, | I hear the sweetness resonate, |
| Dime: ¿es que el viento en sus giros | Tell me: is it that the swirling wind |
| se queja, o que tus suspiros | complains, or that your sighs |
| me hablan de amor al pasar? | speak to me of love that’s gone? |
| Cuando el sol en mi ventana | When the sun in my window |
| rojo brilla a la mañana |
shines red in the morning
|
| y mi amor tu sombra evoca, |
and my love evokes your shadow,
|
| si en mi boca de otra boca |
if in my mouth of another mouth
|
| sentir creo la impresión, |
I believe I feel the impression,
|
| Dime: ¿es que ciego deliro, |
Tell me: is it that I am delirious and blind
|
| o que un beso en un suspiro |
or that a kiss in a sigh
|
| me envía tu corazón? |
sends to me your heart?
|
| Y en el luminoso día |
And in the luminous day
|
| y en la alta noche sombría, |
and in the height of the shadowy night,
|
| si en todo cuanto rodea |
if in all whatever it surrounds
|
| al alma que te desea |
to the core of your desires
|
| te creo sentir y ver, |
I believe you to feel and see,
|
| Dime: ¿es que toco y respiro |
Tell me: is what I touch and breathe
|
| soñando, o que en un suspiro |
in a dream, or that in a sigh
|
| me das tu aliento a beber? |
you give me your breath to drink?
|
| Gustavo Adolfo Becquer | Steven Wittenberg Gordon, MD |
| Author | Translator |
Translator’s Notes:
Spanish is a beautiful, romantic language that I have always admired. It is naturally poetic. So, when I decided to become a poet, I decided to include translations of Spanish poems into English as part of my body of work. I found a number of Spanish language poems in the public domain by Spanish poet Gustavo Aldolfo Bécquer and translated them into English. One of these, “Cuando entre la Sombra Oscura / When the Dark Shadow Falls,” appears here.
Translation proved to be an interesting exercise. I began by translating the words as literally as possible. Most of the time, the literal translation did not work either for meaning or as poetry. Next, I rearranged the word order to resemble English. For example, in Spanish, an adjective usually follows the word that it modifies–the exact opposite of English. Many times, this did the trick. After that, I had to get down in the weeds to tease out how certain words with multiple plausible meanings should be translated. I found the process easier as I went along.
I placed my highest priority on creating poetry first–hence my almost complete disregard for a literal translation. I ran into trouble right away with the title. Literally translated, it means, “When enters the shadow dark.” I quickly changed this to, “When the dark shadow enters.” However, idiomatically in English, we say, “When the dark shadow falls.”
I also placed a high priority on conveying the precise, intended meaning of the poet. This was the most difficult aspect in some ways, as it was tempting to insert my own bias for word choice into the translation. It was most tempting to take a stab at preserving Bécquer’s beautiful rhyme scheme in this poem–aabbc in the quintets, and ddc in the tercets. However, I quickly abandoned the notion. Duplicating the rhyme scheme almost inevitably would have meant choosing words for the sake of their sound and not their meaning. I am proud to say, I remained loyal to Bécquer.
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Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer (1836 – 1870) is considered one of the first modern Spanish poets. Originally from Sevilla, he moved to Madrid in 1854 in pursuit of a literary career. Sadly, Bécquer received acclaim only after his death from tuberculosis at the age of 34. [http://www.britannica.com/
Steven Wittenberg Gordon, MD, the editor of Songs of Eretz Poetry E-zine, learned Spanish by paying attention in high school Spanish class. Originally from upstate New York, he moved to Kansas in 2007 in pursuit of a literary career. He still practices medicine on a part-time basis and has diagnosed and treated numerous cases of tuberculosis. Visit him at www.eretzsongs.blogspot.com.
(editor note: With sincere apologies to Steven Wittenberg Gordon, MD, the original version of the this poem published here, with its translation, was in error, and was missing the translator notes and biography. We make every effort to provide a quality magazine and all errors were Silver Blade’s and not the translator’s.)