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English
Translation
The Cordovan*
Enveloped in dust I saw you depart
from your beautiful Córdoba to Madrid,
to prove what you were made of.
When you arrived, the sunlight
was confounded by your courage
and I saw you laugh with excitement.
But no one there could see
the reason for why you laughed like that,
and a voice deep inside you
cried out: "you will prevail".
Amid sun and shade you fought,
with the splendor of your youth,
you had plenty of vigor, plenty of radiance;
not for a moment did fear overcome you
and death passed you by
because no other came nearer than you.
But in the end everyone saw
the reason for why you laughed like that,
when they heard deep inside of you
that voice that encouraged you yesterday.
From the moment of your birth,
oh, Manuel Benítez; how bitter it became!
until they began to call you:
The Cordovan.
mikistli
Mohamed Zaki✕
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About translator
*= "El Cordobés" refers to Manuel Benítez Pérez, a Spanish bullfighter, matador, and actor active in the 1960s who brought an unorthodox acrobatic and theatrical style to the bullring. A Cordobés is someone who originates from Córdoba, Spain (sometimes called 'Cordova').