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.
______________________________________________________________________________
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