No es nada de tu cuerpo

Studying new languages has a number of advantages, but I think my favourite one is that entire new ways of thinking about life, love, and the universe, are opened to you. This is as evident in the grammatical structure and linguistic priorities as it is in the new literature, poetry, and art that becomes accessible as you learn the language itself, the history, and parse the cultural context.

I did my undergraduate degree in Hispanic Studies. Consistent with the rest of my life path, it was not what I originally set out to do, but it brought me great joy and I learned a lot in the process; not just about Hispanic things, but about myself.

My professors in the Hispanic Studies department at McGill were fantastic. The entire department was welcoming and encouraging, and their appreciation for Hispanic literature was inextricable from their appreciation for life.

One lecturer introduced me to the work of Jaime Sabines, and I was hooked. I'll never forget that moment; some fellow students and I were in the lounge, piecing together a Sabines poem, and our lecturer Javier walked in. He was wearing one of those jaunty old-man hats that seem to be top choice for male academics. We asked him the meaning of "tercos" and he held out his arms in an empty embrace, saying "Estos, mis brazos tercos". It was enough. I was hooked.

When I try to share my love for foreign language literature with those that don't speak the foreign language, I look for translations and am more often than not, extremely disappointed with them. As such, I have decided to take on the burden myself. I have begun with "No es nada de tu cuerpo" by Jaime Sabines, and plan to follow this with "Espero curarme de ti" (by same), and eventually, a translation of a Casona play that I love. For those of you who speak Spanish and English and have any suggestions for edits, I wholeheartedly welcome them.

Here is my first translation: No es nada de tu cuerpo

I have noticed that the pdf is a bit awkward, so here it is in plain text (Note: I made a couple of changes - I haven't decided which translation of some phrases I prefer):

Spanish: 

No es nada de tu cuerpo
ni tu piel, ni tus ojos, ni tu vientre,
ni ese lugar secreto que los dos conocemos,
fosa de nuestra muerte, final de nuestro entierro.
No es tu boca -tu boca
que es igual que tu sexo-,
ni la reunión exacta de tus pechos,
ni tu espalda dulcísima y suave,
ni tu ombligo en que bebo.
Ni son tus muslos duros como el día,
ni tus rodillas de marfil al fuego,
ni tus pies diminutos y sangrantes,
ni tu olor, ni tu pelo.
No es tu mirada -¿qué es una mirada?-
triste luz descarriada, paz sin dueño,
ni el álbum de tu oído, ni tus voces,
ni las ojeras que te deja el sueño.
Ni es tu lengua de víbora tampoco,
flecha de avispas en el aire ciego,
ni la humedad caliente de tu asfixia
que sostiene tu beso.
No es nada de tu cuerpo,
ni una brizna, ni un pétalo,
ni una gota, ni un grano, ni un momento.
Es sólo este lugar donde estuviste,
estos mis brazos tercos.

-Jaime Sabines

English: 

It is nothing of your body
Not your skin, nor your eyes, nor your belly,
Nor that secret place that we both know,
Pit of our death, gravesite of our burial.
It is not your mouth – your mouth
That is the same as your sex-,
Nor the exact meeting of your breasts,
Nor your soft and sweetest back,
Nor your bellybutton from which I drink.
Nor is it your muscles hard as day,
Nor your knees of burnt ivory,
Nor your tiny bleeding feet,
Nor your smell, nor your skin.
It is not your look – what is a look? –
Sad lost light, peace without guidance,
Nor your eardrum, nor your voices,
Nor the bags under your eyes left by sleep.
Nor is it your viper’s tongue either,
Wasp’s arrow in the blind air,
Nor the hot moisture of your asphyxiation
That maintains your kiss.
It is nothing of your body,
Not a blade, nor a petal,
Nor a drop, nor a grain, nor a moment.
It is only this place where you were.
These, my stubborn arms.

-Trans.: Me

• If you like this poem, you might be interested in the video of Jaime Sabines reciting it.