Bruscamente la tarde se ha aclarado
Porque ya cae la lluvia minuciosa.
Cae o cayó. La lluvia es una cosa
Que sin duda sucede en el pasado.
Quien la oye caer ha recobrado
El tiempo en que la suerte venturosa
Le reveló una flor llamada rosa
Y el curioso color del colorado.
Esta lluvia que ciega los cristales
Alegrará en perdidos arrabales
Las negras uvas de una parra en cierto
Patio que ya no existe. La mojada
Tarde me trae la voz, la voz deseada,
De mi padre que vuelve y que no ha muerto.
Translator’s Glossary
|
WORD
|
DEFINITION
|
POSSIBLE SYNONYMS
|
|---|---|---|
| alegrará (v.) | from the verb alegrar—to make someone or something happy | will bring joy, will cheer up, will brighten, will animate |
| arrabales (n.) | squalid and overcrowded areas on the outskirts of towns with crude dwellings inhabited by very poor people | shantytowns, slums, outskirts |
| bruscamente (adv.) | all of a sudden and with force | abruptly, suddenly, brusquely, unexpectedly, sharply, bluntly |
| cae (v.) | from the verb caer—to move downward, typically rapidly and freely without control, from a higher to a lower level | falls, cascades, comes down, tumbles, plummets |
| caer (v.) | to move downward, typically rapidly and freely without control, from a higher to a lower level | falling, cascading, coming down, tumbling, plummeting |
| cayó (v.) | the past tense of the verb caer—to move downward, typically rapidly and freely without control, from a higher to a lower level | fell, cascaded, came down, tumbled, plummeted |
| ciega (v.) | from the verb cegar—to cause (someone) to be unable to see or to obstruct someone or something | outshines, overshadows, blinds one from, blocks, obstructs |
| cierto (adj.) | specific but not explicitly stated | certain, particular, singular, specific |
| color (n.) | property causing visual sensation, not black or white | color, tint, hue |
| colorado (adj.) | of or resembling the color red; having color | red, crimson, scarlet, ruby, colored |
| cosa (n.) | an object that is not specified | thing, entity, element |
| cristales (n.) | pieces of a homogeneous solid substance having a natural geometrically regular form with symmetrically arranged plane faces | crystals, glass |
| curioso (adj.) | strange and unusual | curious, strange, bizarre, unusual, extraordinary, surprising, odd |
| de (prep.) | expressing ownership or origin | of, from |
| del (prep. + art.) | expressing ownership or origin of something already mentioned or assumed to be common knowledge | of the |
| deseada (adj.) | strongly wished for or wanted | desired, yearned for, longed for, pleasing |
| el (art.) | masculine singular form—indicating one as distinct from another | the |
| en (prep.) | indicates location within a time or place | in, within, during |
| es (v.) | from verb ser—to exist or to be true | is |
| esta (adj.) | used to identify a specific person or thing close at hand or being indicated or experienced | this |
| existe (v.) | from the verb existir—to have objective reality or being | exists, is, remains, survives, is present |
| flor (n.) | the seed-bearing part of a plant, consisting of stamens and carpels that are typically surrounded by petals | flower, bloom, blossom, floret |
| ha muerto (v.) | from the verb morir—no longer living | has died, has perished, has departed, has passed away |
| ha recobrado (v.) | from the verb recobrar—to find or regain possession of something | has recovered, has retrieved, has found, has reclaimed, has recouped, has regained |
| la (art.) | feminine singular form—indicating one as distinct from another | the |
| la oye (v. + pron.) | from the verb oír—to perceive sound | hears it, perceives it, listens to it, overhears it |
| las (art.) | feminine plural form—indicating some as distinct from others | the |
| le (pron.) | the person or thing for whom or toward whom an action is being done | to him, to her, to it |
| llamada (past part.) | from the verb llamar—to call, to name | called, named, termed, labeled, christened |
| lluvia (n.) | moisture condensed from the atmosphere that falls visibly in separate drops | rain, drizzle, raindrops, droplets, deluge, downpour |
| los (art.) | masculine plural form—indicating some as distinct from others | the |
| me (pron.) | to myself | to me |
| mi (poss. pron.) | belonging to the speaker | my |
| minuciosa (adj.) | very careful and precise | thorough, methodical, diligent, meticulous, fastidious |
| mojada (adj.) | covered or saturated with water or another liquid | wet, drenched, humid, muggy, misty, damp, moist, dripping, soggy, sopping |
| negras (adj.) | devoid of light | black |
| no (adv.) | used to form a negative | not, not at all, no longer |
| o (conj.) | indicating an alternative | or, or else, or rather |
| padre (n.) | a man in relation to his child or children | father, dad, papa, old man, pop |
| parra (n.) | plant that bears grapes | grapevine, vine |
| pasado (n.) | the time or period before the present | past, days gone by, times past, history |
| patio (n.) | the paved area outside of a house or building | patio, courtyard |
| perdidos (adj.) | empty or uninhabited; not clean; isolated | abandoned, discarded, dispensed with, filthy, stray, remote |
| porque (conj.) | for the reason that | because, since, as, seeing that |
| que (conj.) | function word used to introduce a new clause | that, which, who |
| quien (pron.) | any person who | whoever, whosoever |
| reveló (v.) | from verb revelar—to make something known | revealed, exposed, divulged, disclosed |
| rosa (n.) | prickly bush with flowers | rose |
| se ha aclarado (v.) | from the verb aclarar—to be free of cloud, mist, or rain | has cleared, has been cleansed, has brightened, has become illuminated |
| sin duda (phrase) | literally meaning “without doubt,” this phrase implies certainty | without a doubt, undoubtedly, surely, definitely, without fail |
| sucede (v.) | from verb suceder—to take place | happens, is found, occurs, takes place, ensues, exists, turns up |
| suerte (n.) | favorable or unfavorable circumstances caused by chance | luck, fortune, fate, chance |
| tarde (n.) | the time from noon or lunchtime to evening | afternoon |
| tiempo (n.) | a definite portion of time allotted, used, or suitable for a purpose | time, moment, occasion, instant |
| trae (v.) | from the verb traer—to cause someone or something to come to a place or person | brings, carries, takes, transports, shepherds, guides |
| una (art.) | used when referring to something for the first time | a, an, one, some |
| uvas (n.) | small edible fruits that grow on vines | grapes |
| venturosa (adj.) | implying happiness and favor | lucky, fortunate, auspicious, happy |
| voz (n.) | sound made using vocal organs | voice, call, murmur, words |
| vuelve (v.) | from the verb volver—to come or go back | returns, comes back, revisits, reappears |
| y (conj.) | in addition to | and, as well as, plus |
| ya (adv.) | before or by now or the time in question | already, now, as of now |
Artistic Elements
I. About Sonnets
• From the Italian sonetto, which means “a little sound or song,” the sonnet is a popular classical
form that has compelled poets for centuries. Traditionally, the sonnet is a fourteen-line poem
written in iambic pentameter, which employ one of several rhyme schemes and adhere to a tightly
structured thematic organization. Two sonnet forms provide the models from which all other
sonnets are formed: the Petrarchan and the Shakespearean.
• The first and most common sonnet is the Petrarchan, or Italian. Named after one of its greatest
practitioners, the Italian poet Petrarch, the Petrarchan sonnet is divided into two stanzas, the
octave (the first eight lines) followed by the answering sestet (the final six lines). The tightly woven
rhyme scheme, abba, abba, cdecde or cdcdcd, is suited for the rhyme-rich Italian language, though
there are many fine examples in English. Since the Petrarchan presents an argument, observation,
question, or some other answerable charge in the octave, a turn, or volta, occurs between the
eighth and ninth lines. This turn marks a shift in the direction of the foregoing argument or
narrative, turning the sestet into the vehicle for the counterargument, clarification, or whatever
answer the octave demands.
• The second major type of sonnet, the Shakespearean, or English sonnet, follows a different set of
rules. Here, three quatrains and a couplet follow this rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg. The
couplet plays a pivotal role, usually arriving in the form of a conclusion, amplification, or even
refutation of the previous three stanzas, often creating an epiphanic quality to the end.
Bio
Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, a master of fantasy and fable, is considered one of Latin America’s most brilliant and controversial writers. He grew up bilingual—speaking English and Spanish in the home—and went on to study and master French, German, and even Anglo-Saxon. At the age of six, he told his father he wanted to be a writer, and spent his time in his father’s library reading as much as he could. At seven he wrote a summary of the Greek myths in English; he wrote an original composition at eight; and at nine, he published his Spanish translation of an Oscar Wilde story in a local journal. Throughout his career, Borges loved to use symbols and metaphors in his writing. Starting in his early thirties, he suffered from progressive blindness. Some think that this helped him to create symbols through imagination.