Verbo de Sangre Y Luz - A Poetic Exegesis of the Sermon on the Mount by Luis Cruz-Villalobos: “Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit” & “Blessed Are You Who Mourn”

I

Blessed

Blessed and blessed!

The poor

Poor in spirit who know your own empty hands1

Who have seen your soul without a suit2

Blessed!

Blessed and blessed!

Because you hold on to nothing

and can look to Heaven and expect everything from it

Blessed!

Blessed and blessed!

The poor

Poor in spirit

The miserable spirit

without wings

without even arms

Blessed!

Blessed and blessed!

The poor

But blessed because why

Blessed

Because the Kingdom

The magnificent eternal government

belongs to you3



Who expect everything from Heaven

and with hands—empty but full

As having nothing more but possessing

all things

The poor in spirit

Blessed!

Blessed and blessed!

For you will reign forever

1 The Spanish word ‘su’ in the singular means ‘his’/’her’/’its’; in the plural it can mean ‘theirs’ or ‘yours’ (plural). For the following translations the decision was made to use the second person plural in each case.

2 In like manner ‘han visto’ can mean either ‘they’ or ‘you (plural) have seen’.

3 ‘a ellos’ can only mean ‘to them,’ which is the only place in the poem where there is no duality between the second and third person plural. Given that this does not exist in the same way in English, the decision was made to continue with the 2nd person plural (you).

II

You who mourn

and cry out to Heaven

Happy will you be forevermore!

You who lament

for your blunted heart

Blessed

and even more blessed should you be

Because you will be comforted

and

and comfort will be new life in your eyes

You who weep with a spirit ripped apart

by the gusts of evil

You will be comforted

For your fingers

Your hands and all your skin

will feel the fire you bear within

The fire of your own evil with excruciating weeping

Deeply desiring to throw it

into the most deep of the deepest abyss

Those who weep are blessed

For you will leave your weeping and look to Heaven

No longer without your stains on your soul

No longer with your former misery

Your weeping will be wiped away

after you have devoted

all the tears necessary

Which already dry

will be clouds of praises to the great Lord

Blessed

all the streams of tears

that wind to Him1

1 The Spanish verb for ‘wind’ is ‘serpentear’, which presents a dual meaning of both a ‘stream that winds’ but also a ‘serpent that snakes its way’ through the grass, as it were.

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I

¡Alegres

Alegres y alegres!

Los pobres

Pobres en espíritu que conocen sus manos

vacías

Que han visto su alma sin traje

¡Alegres

Alegres y alegres!

Porque nada tienen

y pueden mirar al Cielo y esperar todo de él

¡Alegres

Alegres y alegres!

Los pobres

Pobres en espíritu

Los de espíritu miserable

sin alas

Sin brazos incluso

¡Alegres

Alegres y alegres!

Los pobres

Pero alegres por qué

Alegres

Porque el Reino

El magnífico gobierno eterno

les pertenece a ellos

Los que esperan todo del Cielo

y con las manos vacías pero llenas

Como no teniendo nada mas poseyéndolo

todo

Los pobres en espíritu

¡Alegres

Alegres y alegres!

Por siempre reinarán

II

Los que lloran

y lloran al Cielo

¡Felices serán por los siglos!

Los que se lamentan

por su corazón opaco

Alegres

y aún más alegres deben estar

Porque serán consolados

y el consuelo será vida nueva en sus ojos

Los que lloran con el espíritu desgajado

por el viento de su maldad

Ellos serán consolados

Ya que sus dedos

Sus manos y toda su piel

siente el fuego que llevan

El fuego de su mal y se duelen llorando

Queriendo arrojarlo

a lo más profundo del más profundo abismo

Los que lloran son bienaventurados

Porque dejarán su llanto y mirarán al Cielo

Ya sin sus manchas en el alma

Ya sin su antigua miseria

Su llanto será enjugado

después que haya entregado

todas las lágrimas necesarias

Las cuales ya secas

serán nubes de alabanzas para el gran Señor

Bienaventurados

todos los arroyos de lágrimas

que serpentean hacia Él

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