Martín Barea Mattos translated by Mark Statman

Muro y enredadera

El día nublado nos ha separado
como una pared como una hoja en blanco
y apenas flamea eclipsa una pobre bandera
sin tregua como esta posguerra de sol
el día nublado construye su muro
y abraza ciudades nuevas medievales
con su enredadera virtual nos encierra
no mires afuera no mires afuera
te ofrecen ventanas sin brisa y sin primavera
la nube es tan alta como la memoria
del hongo del humo de nombres extintos
por las chimeneas de industrias de historia
y el grito de guerra provoca
amores gigantes que gimen
derrotas gemelas
nuestros corazones son como fusibles
fusiles la herencia la tensa mirada
que apunta y dispara
no dudes no hay juicio no hay deuda
tampoco condena si rezas
te doy vida eterna, te doy vida eterna.

Wall and Vine

The cloudy day has separated us
like a wall, a blank page
and as soon as it flames a poor flag eclipses
without truce like this post war sun
the cloudy day constructs its wall
and embraces cities new medieval
with its virtual vines it locks us up
don’t look outside don’t look outside
they offer you windows without breeze without spring
the cloud is high like the memory
of fungus of smoke of extinct names
from the industrial smokestacks of history
and the war cry evokes
giant loves that moan
twin defeats
our hearts are like fused
guns the inherited the tense look
that points and shoots
don’t doubt there is no sense there is no debt
nor condemnation if you pray
I give you eternal life, I give.

Sin titulo

siempre hay otoño
siempre dirás nunca
siempre es la boca quien nombra
bóveda primaveral celeste
cayendo hacia el reflejo
nunca digas siempre porque nunca
termino de contar las hojas
cuando entrevero
árboles escribas y recién escrito
viento cruzando escobas.

Untitled

always there is autumn
always you’ll say never
always it is the mouth that names
spring-like heavenly dome
falling to the reflection
you’ll never say always because
I never stop to count the leaves
when I mix
the trees you write, the recently written
wind crossing broom

Sin titulo

Cientos de filamentos alumbran
como con sol propio
un jardín de falsos pétalos
y no hay perfume ni abeja ni viento
ni hombre durmiendo
ni muerto despierto
detrás de la vidriera
estoy parado y tiemblo
como un fantasma de carne en susto
atravesado
en estático murmullo
por festones consagrados
al confort primaveral
como de mundo
de amor perfecto
concedido
tan solo a los objetos
bienaventurados
en el hábito de habitar la idea
y la forma
y el privilegio
y el sentido del espacio de la carne
qué es la carne habitando
su misterio
inmenso escaparate
de intelecto.

Untitled

Hundreds of filaments illuminate
as if their own sun
a garden of false petals
and there is no perfume no bee no wind
no sleeping man
no dead awake
behind the glass window
I am stopped and I shake
like a phantom of flesh in fear
transfixed
in ecstatic whisper
by consecrated chains of flowers
to the spring-like comfort
as in a world
of perfect love
given
alone to the objects
blessed
in the habit of inhabiting the idea
and the form
and the privilege
and the sense of space of flesh
that is the flesh inhabiting
mystery
an intellect’s immense
window display

Martín Barea Mattos

Martín Barea Mattos was born in Montevideo in 1978. He is a visual artist and musician. His poetry collections include Made in China (Estuario, Uruguay, 2016), Parking Barea Mattos (Una temporada en Isla negra, Chile, 2014), Conexo (MNAV, Uruguay, 2013) and Por hora por día por mes (Estuario, 2008). He is the organizer of the long-running Montevideo reading series, Ronda de Poetas. 

Mark Statman

Mark Statman’s books include That Train Again (Lavender Ink, 2015) and, with Pablo Medina, a translation of Federico García Lorca’s Poet in New York (Grove, 2008). His next translation collection, Never Made in America: The Selected Poems of Martín Barea Mattos will appear with Lavender Ink in the fall of 2017. Mark Statman is an Associate Professor in Literary Studies at Eugene Lang College, The New School.

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