The Men Who Killed My Mother | Los hombres que mataron a mi madre
Poetry | Poesía
Bilingual edition
9781961056091
Distributed for Swan Isle Press
The Men Who Killed My Mother | Los hombres que mataron a mi madre
Poetry | Poesía
Bilingual edition
A powerful account of the symbolic murder of the poet’s mother.
From the first poem in this bilingual edition of The Men Who Killed My Mother, it is evident that the mother in “Our Mother” (“Nuestra Madre”) is not only Fernando Valverde’s. The soulful refrain of “mother/madre” might be anyone’s mother whose suffering is palpable in a world legislated over by men. Issues such as orphanhood, abuse, violence, manipulation, and fear are treated with the rawness of someone who has tasted the venom of betrayal. This is a lyrical dark garden of faith and family, exposing treachery and cruelty, and anger at injustice, from the voice of a son with deep love for his mother—for her honor, dignity, and dreams.
Valverde leads us into a forest full of wolves and serpents under the governance of civil society. He has received many awards for his poetry and is recognized as one of the most highly acclaimed poets of his generation in Spain. This heartfelt English translation by Gordon E. McNeer captures the power of Valverde’s poetic cadences and its haunting evocative lyricism.
From the first poem in this bilingual edition of The Men Who Killed My Mother, it is evident that the mother in “Our Mother” (“Nuestra Madre”) is not only Fernando Valverde’s. The soulful refrain of “mother/madre” might be anyone’s mother whose suffering is palpable in a world legislated over by men. Issues such as orphanhood, abuse, violence, manipulation, and fear are treated with the rawness of someone who has tasted the venom of betrayal. This is a lyrical dark garden of faith and family, exposing treachery and cruelty, and anger at injustice, from the voice of a son with deep love for his mother—for her honor, dignity, and dreams.
Valverde leads us into a forest full of wolves and serpents under the governance of civil society. He has received many awards for his poetry and is recognized as one of the most highly acclaimed poets of his generation in Spain. This heartfelt English translation by Gordon E. McNeer captures the power of Valverde’s poetic cadences and its haunting evocative lyricism.
Table of Contents
I
Nuestra madre
Our Mother
Lo poco que quedaba de mi madre
The Little that Remained of my Mother
Mujer aprende el significado de las palabras
Woman Learns the Meaning of Words
Madre grita en silencio desde el baño
Mother Screams in Silence from the Bath
Mujer cruza los páramos del miedo
Woman Crosses the Wastelands of Fear
Madre entrega su cuerpo a los mercaderes
Woman Surrenders her Body to the Money Changers
Madre recorre el jardín solariego
Mother Walks Through the Manor Garden
Mujer arrodillada escucha a los profetas
Woman on her Knees Listens to the Prophets
Madre escribe en mis labios un poema
Mother Writes a Poem on my Lips
Mujer sangra una herencia
Woman Bleeds an Inheritance
II
Madre entra en el mar como en la muerte
Mother Enters into the Sea as into Death
Mujer sobrevive a un naufragio
Mother Survives a Shipwreck
Madre deshace su última maleta
Mother Unpacks her Last Suitcase
Mujer devorada por perros
Woman Devoured by Dogs
Madre esconde el dolor
Mother Hides her Pain
Mujer llena de escombros
Woman Full of Debris
Madre pierde su anillo de la suerte
Mother Loses her Good Luck Ring
Madre escribe una carta de amor
Mother Writes a Love Letter
Mujer mira al futuro
Woman Looks into the Future
Madre recibe un beso
Mother Receives a Kiss
Madre habita un país lleno de sombras
Mother Inhabits a Country Full of Shadows
Mujer muestra sus pechos cortados sobre una bandeja
Woman Displays her Slashed Breasts on a Silver Platter
Madre aparta el veneno de mi boca
Mother Take the Venom Away from my Mouth
Mujer entra en el templo
Woman Enters the Temple
Madre no deja de mirar al suelo
Mother Keeps Looking at the Ground
Mujer sale del bosque sin conocer la lluvia
Woman Leaves the Forest without Knowing the Rain
Ahora que estás muerta
Now that You are Dead
Nuestra madre
Our Mother
Lo poco que quedaba de mi madre
The Little that Remained of my Mother
Mujer aprende el significado de las palabras
Woman Learns the Meaning of Words
Madre grita en silencio desde el baño
Mother Screams in Silence from the Bath
Mujer cruza los páramos del miedo
Woman Crosses the Wastelands of Fear
Madre entrega su cuerpo a los mercaderes
Woman Surrenders her Body to the Money Changers
Madre recorre el jardín solariego
Mother Walks Through the Manor Garden
Mujer arrodillada escucha a los profetas
Woman on her Knees Listens to the Prophets
Madre escribe en mis labios un poema
Mother Writes a Poem on my Lips
Mujer sangra una herencia
Woman Bleeds an Inheritance
II
Madre entra en el mar como en la muerte
Mother Enters into the Sea as into Death
Mujer sobrevive a un naufragio
Mother Survives a Shipwreck
Madre deshace su última maleta
Mother Unpacks her Last Suitcase
Mujer devorada por perros
Woman Devoured by Dogs
Madre esconde el dolor
Mother Hides her Pain
Mujer llena de escombros
Woman Full of Debris
Madre pierde su anillo de la suerte
Mother Loses her Good Luck Ring
Madre escribe una carta de amor
Mother Writes a Love Letter
Mujer mira al futuro
Woman Looks into the Future
Madre recibe un beso
Mother Receives a Kiss
Madre habita un país lleno de sombras
Mother Inhabits a Country Full of Shadows
Mujer muestra sus pechos cortados sobre una bandeja
Woman Displays her Slashed Breasts on a Silver Platter
Madre aparta el veneno de mi boca
Mother Take the Venom Away from my Mouth
Mujer entra en el templo
Woman Enters the Temple
Madre no deja de mirar al suelo
Mother Keeps Looking at the Ground
Mujer sale del bosque sin conocer la lluvia
Woman Leaves the Forest without Knowing the Rain
Ahora que estás muerta
Now that You are Dead