Solsticio by Joaquín Pasos

Solstice*

A sun of peace

suspense

watches a sun of war

passing by.

He claps at him.

   -clap, clap, clap, clap-.

Both stare at each other.

Their quiet smiles

fall in the solar

with the peculiar silence

of the light.

The sun of peace

swells his cheeks

and the sun of war

sticks out his tongue.

   -clap, clap, clap, clap-.

Over the fields of the land

the smiling corpses

sunbathe

in peace.

   -clap, clap, clap, clap-.

*English translation by Marjha Paulino

Solsticio

Un sol de paz

suspenso

mira pasar

a un sor de guerra.

Lo aplaude.

   -pla, pla, pla, pla-.

Ambos se miran.

Sus sonrisas calladas

caen en los solares

con el silencio peculiar

de la luz.

El sol de paz

hincha sus cachetes

y el sol de guerra

saca la lengua.

   -pla, pla, pla, pla-.

Sobre los campos de la tierra

los cadáveres sonrientes

toman el sol

en paz.

   -pla, pla, pla, pla-.

Joaquín Pasos (1914-1947) was a Nicaraguan poet, narrator and essayist . He was one of the most important authors of the national Vanguardian literary movement. His best known poem was his Canto de Guerra de las Cosas.