Heta Patel
on translating Julia de Burgos
At its heart, “Canción Amarga” (“Bitter Song”) explores the pain of existence, the strength and frailty of the human soul, and the hope one can find in others. It is a poem of feeling, emotions that for me surmised to the notion that life is an unending battle. This realization contextualized the rest of my translation process. For example, the line “la tragedia sin par de la existencia” directly translates to “the unparalleled tragedy of existence.” However, the poet’s voice seems to be frustrated with her inability to succeed in this war of life. It is for this reason that I ultimately decided to translate the phrase to “the unconquered tragedy of existence.” Once again, divisa means motto, yet at the same time the conflict between living and dying (to be or to not want to be) is the same call that prompts the battle — it’s the “war cry.”
Given the simple diction, the poem was fairly easy to translate. At the same time, certain phrases proved more difficult to transmit in all of their emotional intensity. The line “debe ser la caricia de lo inútil” means “it must be the caress of the useless.” But, what if touch itself is useless? Although the useless are personified here, the line seems to remark on the “futility of touch” itself. The inherent nature of this sadness is exemplified in the next line where instead of translating ser poeta to “being a poet,” I chose “a poet’s being.” These decisions were made with the hope of exemplifying the deep, raw, and subtle emotional versatility Julia de Burgos employs in this poem, a beautiful reminder of the fact that despite the pain, we still have the strength and someone to call on for hope.
about the author
Julia de Burgos (1914–1953) was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and civil rights activist for women and African and Afro-Caribbean writers. She played a crucial role in the Puerto Rican independence movement and like many politically driven writers, imbued her literary works with politics and her political work with literature. In addition to authoring several poetry collections, she served as the Secretary General of the Daughters of Freedom — the women’s branch of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party. Some of her most notable works include Poema para Mi Muerte, Yo Misma Fui Mi Ruta, and Alta Mar y Goviota, poems that lyrically married the beauty and the struggle of the oppressed. It was her focus on the marginalized that particularly distinguished her, catching the eye of Pablo Neruda during his time in Cuba. Her engagement with themes of sexism and social justice in her writing paved the way for many feminist writers to come. To this day, Julia de Burgos’ work still resonates with many and she continues to live through the various cultural centers, schools, and parks named after her.
about the translator
Heta Patel is a junior at the University of Pennsylvania studying health and societies and Hispanic studies. Language, for her, is an extension of her interest in understanding people, the way they think, and the way their bodies interact with the world. Although this interest has largely manifested itself in her pursuing medicine, immersing herself in Spanish, and trying to pursue global health endeavors in Latin America, she has also found writing poetry and its translation instrumental in her desire to learn more about the human condition. In her free time, she enjoys curating her Spotify playlists and bullet journaling.
