Oda al aire

Ode to the air

Pablo Neruda
(my translation)

Walking down a road

I ran into the air,

greeted him and said

respectfully:

I am glad

that for once

you aren’t transparent,

so we can talk.

The untiring one

danced, rustled the leaves,

shook the dust off my shoes

with his smile,

and raising up all

his blue masts and sails,

his glass skeleton,

his eyelids made of breeze,

unmoving as a mast

he stayed there listening to me.

I kissed him on his

king-of-the-sky skin,

I wrapped myself up in his flag

made of heaven’s silk

and I told him:

king or comrade,

thread, bird or petals,

I don’t know who you are, but

I’m asking one thing of you,

don’t sell yourself off.

Water sold itself away

and I have seen

the drops stop dripping

from the pipes

in the desert

and all the people, the poor people

walking thirsty

staggering in the sand.

I saw the light at night

get rationed,

the best light in the houses

of the rich.

Everything is dawn in the

new suspended gardens,

everything is darkness

in the terrible

alleyway shadows.

And then the night,

the mother-stepmother,

comes out

with a knife right in the middle

of her owl eyes,

and a shout, a crime,

they rise up and are ended

swallowed by shadows.

No, air,

don’t sell yourself off,

don’t let them put you in canals,

don’t let them put you in tubes,

don’t let them put you in boxes,

don’t let them pack you away,

don’t let them make tablets out of you,

don’t let them put you in a bottle,

be careful,

call me

when you need me,

I am the poet-son

of the poor, father, uncle,

cousin, blood brother

and brother in law

of the poor, of everyone,

of my country and all the other ones,

of the poor that live near the river,

of those that live in the high places

of the vertical cordillera

they pick at rocks,

nail together tables,

sew clothes,

chop wood,

grind up the earth,

and so

I want them to breathe,

you are the only one they have,

that’s why you are

transparent,

so that they can see

what will come tomorrow,

that’s why you exist,

air,

let yourself breathe,

don’t chain yourself up,

don’t trust anybody

that comes in their car

to examine you,

leave them behind,

laugh at them,

blow off their hats,

don’t accept

their propositions,

let’s go together

dancing around the world,

knocking the flowers

off the apple tree,

entering through windows,

whistling together,

whistling

yesterday and tomorrow

melodies,

a day will come

when we will free

light and water,

the earth, man,

and everything for everyone

will be, as you are.

That’s why, now,

be careful!

and come with me,

there is a lot left

to dance and sing,

let’s go

over the sea,

above the mountains,

let’s go

where the new spring

is flowering

and in one gust of wind

and song

let’s pass out the flowers,

the aroma, the fruit,

the air

of tomorrow.