El Silencio by Ida Vitale

The Silence*

I ask for silence

and it is like asking for fruit

in the middle of the summer,

a pond full of fish

when the rain starts.

Is it sinister waiting?

A grenade will burn

for unexpected love

and its peace will grow,

not a dead marsh,

not an ice jam,

nor an epitaph tipped over,

but a sweet gift,

a goodnight kiss,

the good child’s shine,

the tender light.

*English translation by Marjha Paulino

El Silencio

Pido silencio

y es pedir la fruta

en la flor del verano,

un estanque con peces

al abrirse la lluvia.

¿Esperar es siniestro?

Arderá la granada

de inesperado amor

y crecerá su paz,

no una marisma muerta,

no un aniego de hielo,

o epitafio volteado,

sino un regalo dulce,

beso de buenas noches,

resplandor de buen hijo,

lámpara cariñosa.

Image: Yelena Bryksenkova

Ida Vitale (1923) is a Uruguayan translator, essayist and poet. She played an important role in the Uruguayan art movement known as the 'Generation of 45'. In 2009 she received the Octavio Paz Award, in 2014 the Alfonso Reyes Award, and in 2015 the Reina Sofía Award. Also, in 2016 she was awarded with the International Poetry Award Federico García Lorcaand in 2017 she won the Max Jacob Award.