Jorge Guillen "Cancion puertorriqueña"

Jorge Guillén

Jorge Guillén was born in Valladolid on January 18, 1893. He was a Spanish Poet and a member of Generation 27. Generation 27 was an influential group of poets that arose in Spanish literary circles between 1923 and 1927, essentially out of a shared desire to experience and work with avant-garde forms of art and poetry. His life paralleled that of his friend Pedro Salinas, whom he succeeded as a Spanish teaching assistant at the Collège de Sorbonne in the University of Paris from 1917 to 1923. He was also a professor at the University of Murcia from 1925 to 1929, Oxford University from 1929 to 1931, and the University of Seville from 1932 to 1938. Exiled, he was forced to establish himself in the United States to continue his postsecondary teaching. He was a professor of Spanish at Wellesley College from 1941 to 1967. He then retired to Italy, where he married for the second time. He later moved to the city of Málaga and in 1977 he was awarded the Miguel de Cervantes Prize, one of the most prestigious prizes for Spanish-language writers. He died in Málaga in 1984 at the age of 91.

Canción puertorriqueña
By: Jorge Guillen

¿Como estas, Puerto Rico,
tu de socio asociado en sociedad?
Al pie de cocoteros y guitarras,
Bajo la luna y junto al mar,
¡Que suave honor andar del brazo,
brazo con brazo, del Tío Sam!
¿En que lengua me entiendes,
en que lengua por fin te podré hablar,
sí en yes,
sí en sí,
sí en bien,
sí en well,
sí en mal,
sí en bad, sí en very bad?

Juran los que te matan
Que eres feliz… ¿Será verdad?
Arde tu frente pálida,
La anemia en tu mirada logra un brillo fatal;
Masticas una jerigonza
Medio española, medio slang;
De un empujón te hundieron en Corea,
¡Sin que supieras por quien ibas a pelear,
sí en yes,
sí en si,
sí en bien,
sí en well,
sí en mal,
sí en bad, si en very bad!

Ay, yo bien conozco a tu enemigo,
el mismo que tenemos por acá,
socio en la sangre y el azúcar,
socio asociado en sociedad;
United States and Puerto Rico,
es decir New York City with San Juan,
Manhattan y Borinquen, soga y cuello,
Apenas nada más…
No yes,
No sí
No bien,
No well,
Sí mal,
Sí bad, sí very bad!

Puerto Rican Song
By: Jorge Guillen

How are you, Puerto Rico,
you as a partner associated in society?
At the foot of coconut palms and guitars,
Under the moon and next to the sea,
What a delicate honor to walk by the hand,
Hand in hand with Uncle Sam!
In what tongue do you understand me,
in what tongue will I finally be able to speak to you,
yes in sí,
yes in yes,
yes in well,
yes in bien,
yes in bad,
yes in mal, yes in muy mal?

Those that kill you swear
that you are happy… could it be true?
Your pail face stings,
The anemia in your look achieves a fatal glow;
You chew on a street talk
Kind of Spanish, kind of slang;
From a shove they sank you in Korea,
Without you even knowing for whom you were going to fight,
yes in sí,
yes in yes,
yes in well,
yes in bien,
yes in bad,
yes in mal, yes in muy mal!

Oh, I know your enemy very well,
the same one we have over here,
partner in blood and in sugar,
partner associated in society;
United States and Puerto Rico,
It’s like saying New York City con San Juan,
Manhattan and Borinquen, noose and neck,
Hardly anything more…
no sí,
no yes,
no well,
no bien,
yes bad,
yes mal, ¡yes muy mal!