Sep 2018
That night
the beach was full of fires,
and the waves rolled in mysterious,
foam-laden,
from the ancient lands.
And on the beach
full of fires and magic
we burned our paper wishes,
for that night they might even come true.
Then, because we were unwilling to wait
the last few minutes, we ran
a little before midnight
into the mysterious, ancient, pagan sea
and submerged ourselves in the foam.
You rose up,
shouting amid the waves
with the joy of that night.
When fireworks shot into the sky,
and some, falling to the sea,
exploded there again
to shoot from the very waves,
you also leapt up, shouting
with the energy of that magic night.
And later, when we were almost
the last remaining in the sea,
we went up onto the beach
full of fires and love.
the beach was full of fires,
and the waves rolled in mysterious,
foam-laden,
from the ancient lands.
And on the beach
full of fires and magic
we burned our paper wishes,
for that night they might even come true.
Then, because we were unwilling to wait
the last few minutes, we ran
a little before midnight
into the mysterious, ancient, pagan sea
and submerged ourselves in the foam.
You rose up,
shouting amid the waves
with the joy of that night.
When fireworks shot into the sky,
and some, falling to the sea,
exploded there again
to shoot from the very waves,
you also leapt up, shouting
with the energy of that magic night.
And later, when we were almost
the last remaining in the sea,
we went up onto the beach
full of fires and love.
Noche de San Juan, 23 June, a celebration of midsummer, made into a Christian festival.
The best way to write a piece in two languages is to do both versions at the same time, so there are a couple of places where the Spanish is not a literal translation of the English.
Note: the "you" who leapt up in the sea is plural and female, as the Spanish version makes clear, and the "love" in the last line is of a general nature, not romantic at all.
The best way to write a piece in two languages is to do both versions at the same time, so there are a couple of places where the Spanish is not a literal translation of the English.
Note: the "you" who leapt up in the sea is plural and female, as the Spanish version makes clear, and the "love" in the last line is of a general nature, not romantic at all.
(81/M/England)
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