Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino, y nada más;
caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
Al andar se hace camino,
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante, no hay camino,
sino estelas en la mar.
Glossary
|
WORD
|
DEFINITION
|
POSSIBLE SYNONYMS
|
|---|---|---|
| a (prep.) | word used before an infinitive verb | to |
| al (prep. + art.) | in the process of doing something | while, by, when, upon, at the point of, at the moment of |
| andar (v.) | to travel by foot | walking, traveling, strolling, ambling, striding, hiking |
| caminante (n.) | person who travels on foot | wayfarer, wanderer, voyager, hiker, traveler |
| camino (n.) | path or way; course of action | road, path, pathway, trail, way, journey, track, avenue, course |
| el (art.) | masculine singular—indicating one as distinct from another | the |
| en (prep.) | indicates location, usually on top of or inside something else | in, on, within, upon |
| estelas (n.) | trails of disturbed water left by a moving body | wake, backwash, trail, ripples |
| huellas (n.) | impressions on the earth left by a moving body | footprints, tracks, paths, imprints, marks, footsteps |
| la (art.) | feminine singular—indicating one as distinct from another | the |
| mar (n.) | the expanse of water that covers most of the earth’s surface | sea, ocean, water, surf, briny |
| más (adv.) | to a greater extent, additional | more, additional, extra, added, further, supplementary |
| nada (adv.) | not anything; something of no importance | nothing |
| no hay (v.) | to not exist | there is no, there is not |
| nunca (adv.) | at no time, certainly not | never, certainly not, on no account, by no means, not at all, in no way |
| pisar (v.) | to place one’s foot on the ground, usually while walking | walk, tread, step, set foot, trample |
| que (conj.) | used to introduce a new clause | that |
| se ha de (verb phrase) | to imply a future action | one will have to, one shall have to, one is to, you will have to, you shall have to, you are to |
| se hace (v.) | from the verb hacerse—to make or be made | is made, is formed, is created, is constructed, is completed, one makes, one forms, one completes, you make, you form, you complete |
| se ve (v.) | from the verb verse—to see something | is seen, one sees, one observes, one perceives, one notices, you see, you observe, you perceive, you notice |
| senda (n.) | path; sequence of reactions | pathway, footway, footpath, track |
| sino (prep.) | not including; other than | but, if not, save for, besides, apart from, other than |
| son (v.) | from the verb ser—to be | are |
| tus (adj.) | belonging to the person spoken to | your |
| volver (v.) | come or go back; do again | return, come back, go back, get back, go again |
| volver la vista atrás (phrase) | to direct eyes at something so as to uncover something behind | looking back, gazing back |
| y (conj.) | used to introduce an additional comment or idea | and, as well as, plus |
Bio
One of Spain’s most famous poets, Antonio Machado came of age during the Spanish-American War of 1898. An avid reader, he became a professor of French literature in a small Spanish town. After the death of his wife, he moved closer to Madrid where his brother Manuel, also a poet, lived. When the Spanish Civil War began in 1936, however, the brothers were divided forever. Manuel lived in the Nationalist zone; Antonio and his mother lived in the opposing Republican zone. As the war continued, Machado and his mother were forced to flee several times— ultimately ending up across the French border where Machado passed away in 1939.