El Verbo Aquí: “And the Word Was With God”; “And the Word Was God”; “The Same Was In the Beginning with God”

We continue with our translations of Luis Cruz-Villalobos’ poetic exposition of John 1:1-13 with verses 1b-2.

Enjoy!

AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD

The being in Himself

Also allowed

For Himself to exist

Being outside of Himself

Contemplating his own essence

As the eternal alter ego

And being with the Other

With whom they were the same

—The Being in Himself—

Smiling and Singing

Dancing a dance

Indeterminate and quantum

A beautiful and eternal dance

AND THE WORD WAS GOD

Transcending

Since the beginning

The laws more basic

Than logic

- For He is and He is not what He is

at the same time

and in the same sense -

For who He is in Himself

As well as being-in-himself

The one who is

Presence

Emmanuel from always

He is the one who put logic into motion

When the first atoms began their dance

He, therefore, is the Lord of logic

The final chair

Certain and irrefutable for all generations

Even if our cadre can’t measure it

Or our compass encircle it

THE SAME WAS IN THE BEGINNING WITH GOD

I was facing the other

I and the alter ego

Looking at each other in love

In ecstasy with the Spirit

Ruach and Pneuma as well eternal

With them raising his banners of joy

Of peace and mercy

The original Spanish text:

Y EL VERBO ERA CON DIOS

El Ser en Sí

También se permitió

a Sí mismo existir

Ser fuera de Sí

Contemplar su propia esencia

Como alter ego eterno

Y al ser con el Otro

con quien eran lo mismo

- el Ser en Sí –

Sonreían y cantaban

Bailaban una danza indeterminada y cuántica

Bella y eterna danza

Y EL VERBO ERA DIOS

Trascendiendo

desde el principio

Las leyes más básicas

de la lógica

- Pues Él es y no es lo que es

al mismo tiempo

y en igual sentido-

Pues al que es-en-sí-mismo

Al que además de ser-en-sí-mismo

Es-el-que-está

Presencia

Emmanuel desde siempre

Aquel es el que la lógica echó a andar

Cuando los primeros átomos comenzaron su baile

Y por tanto es Señor de la lógica

Y su cátedra es la final

La certera e irrefutable por los siglos

Aunque nuestra escuadra no logre medirla

Ni nuestro compás no la circunde

ESTE ERA EN EL PRINCIPIO CON DIOS

Era uno frente al otro

Ego y alter ego

Mirándose de amor

Extasiados junto al Espíritu

Ruaj y Pneuma también eterno

Que con ellos levantaba sus banderas de alegría

De paz y misericordia

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A Poetic Meditation on Paradox: Selections from Poemas Quince by Luis Cruz-Villalobos

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El Verbo Aquí: A Poetic Exegesis by Luis Cruz-Villalobos