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LT → Spanish, Italian, Portuguese → Pablo Neruda → Algunas Bestias → English
  • Pablo Neruda

    Pablo Neruda

    Algunas Bestias → English translation

  • 2 translations
    English, Romanian
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Open Spanish (Original)
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Some Beasts

Click to see the original lyrics (Spanish)
It was the twilight of the iguana.
 
From the rainbow colored cresting
its tongue like a dart
it sank down into the greenery;
the monastic ants tread on
the jungle with melodious feet,
the guanaco as thin as the oxygen
in the wide brown heights,
was wearing boots of gold,
while the llama opened its innocent
eyes in the fragility
of the world full of dew.
 
The monkeys braided an
interminably erotic thread
on the shores of the dawn,
knocking down walls of pollen
and frightening the purple flight
of the Muzo1 butterflies.
 
It was the night of the caymans,
a pure night and swarming
snouts were emerging from the slime,
and from the sleepy swamps
a dull sound of armor
returned to its earthly origin.
 
The jaguar touched the leaves
with its phosphorescent absence,
the puma runs on the branch
like a devouring fire
while the intoxicants of
the jungle burn in his eyes.
 
The badgers' feet scratch
the river, they sniff the nest
whose palpitating delicacy
they will attack with red teeth.
 
And at the bottom of the great waters
like the circle of the earth,
is the giant anaconda
covered with ritual muds,
devouring and religious.
 
  • 1. Muzo is a town and municipality in the Western Boyacá Province, part of the department of Boyacá, Colombia. Because of their beauty and size, the butterflies of Muzo are considered a trophy for collectors from all around the world.
Original lyrics

Algunas Bestias

Click to see the original lyrics (Spanish)

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Translations of "Algunas Bestias"
English Freda
Romanian Simbard
Pablo Neruda: Top 3
1.Poema 20
2.Soneto XVII
3.No culpes a nadie
Comments
roster 31roster 31
   Sun, 18/06/2017 - 12:14

This is not a song, ts a poem; and Pablo Neruda ts the author..

FredaFreda
   Sun, 18/06/2017 - 15:08

I didn't submit the original, that was josevalqui and I can't edit it.

roster 31roster 31
   Sun, 18/06/2017 - 15:48

This video you submitted, is Pablo Neruda's original poem. I don't know who recites it, that's to say, 'the artist'...
(Pablo Neruda 1904/,1973)
This other one is one of the musical, sung, versions, based on the poem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67Pp2cz1DPY
(I haven't checked whether the lyrics change in the translation. Maybe the only need will be to change tke video).

FredaFreda
   Sun, 18/06/2017 - 18:57

I agree with you, this is a poem, not a song, and should probably be changed.

The person who recited the poem in the video I had added is not really an artist,
just someone who recited someone's else's poetry so I didn't see a need to credit an
unknown as the artist. Pablo Neruda is already shown as the artist on the
original Spanish language page.

The video you suggested is a musical composition,
a cantata by Mikis Theodorakis who has an artist page here on LT.
That video itself shows him as the artist for the musical
"Canto General" which does include the musical version of this poem.

Just to avoid confusion, though, I removed the video I had added.

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