Discovering Neruda

Brown And Agile Child

Brown and agile child, the sun which forms the fruit
And ripens the grain and twists the seaweed
Has made your happy body and your luminous eyes
And given your mouth the smile of water.
A black and anguished sun is entangled in the twigs
Of your black mane when you hold out your arms.
You play in the sun as in a tidal river
And it leaves two dark pools in your eyes.
Brown and agile child, nothing draws me to you,
Everything pulls away from me here in the noon.
You are the delirious youth of the bee,
The drunkedness of the wave, the power of the heat.
My somber heart seeks you always
I love your happy body, your rich, soft voice
Dusky butterfly, sweet and sure
Like the wheatfield, the sun, the poppy, and the water. trans. Kenneth Rexroth

Girl Lithe And Tawny

Girl lithe and tawny, the sun that forms
the fruits, that plumps the grains, that curls seaweeds
filled your body with joy, and your luminous eyes
and your mouth that has the smile of the water.
A black yearning sun is braided into the strands
of your black mane, when you stretch your arms.
You play with the sun as with a little brook
and it leaves two dark pools in your eyes.
Girl lithe and tawny, nothing draws me towards you.
Everything bears me farther away, as though you were noon.
You are the frenzied youth of the bee,
the drunkenness of the wave, the power of the wheat-ear
My somber heart searches for you, nevertheless
and I love your joyful body, your slender and flowing voice. trans. W.S. Merwin

I discovered this poem on the back cover of singer Jackson Browne's album The Pretender which was released in 1976. It was the first time I had ever read any work by the great Chilean poet. I was so impressed that I had to read more. The next time I was in a bookstore I found W.S. Merwin's book of translations, Twenty Love Poems And A Song Of Despair, where I found the second translation posted above. Both translations of the poem have their strong as well as weak points but I have to say that overall I prefer Merwin's version.