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Poetry

Epistle

By Horacio Castillo
Translated from Spanish by Samuel Gray

Jews ask for signs, Greeks for wisdom,
but I say: Go crazy.
Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe?
The light of the world has been palmed.
You’re blind?
Rejoice in your blindness.
You’re deaf?
Rejoice in your deafness.
The blind have been chosen to see it all,
and the deaf to hear what’s inaudible.
Yes, go crazy.
Because all the eyes have been veiled,
and we see only what we don’t see.        
Because all the ears have been sealed,
and we hear only what we don’t.
You want miracles?
Go crazy.
Knowledge?
Go crazy.
Because it’s a matter of grasping the Ungraspable
and our hands break,
a matter of touching Truth
and reason burns.
Go crazy.

Translation of “Epístola.” Copyright the estate of Horacio Castillo. Translation copyright 2011 by Samuel Gray. All rights reserved

English Spanish (Original)

Jews ask for signs, Greeks for wisdom,
but I say: Go crazy.
Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe?
The light of the world has been palmed.
You’re blind?
Rejoice in your blindness.
You’re deaf?
Rejoice in your deafness.
The blind have been chosen to see it all,
and the deaf to hear what’s inaudible.
Yes, go crazy.
Because all the eyes have been veiled,
and we see only what we don’t see.        
Because all the ears have been sealed,
and we hear only what we don’t.
You want miracles?
Go crazy.
Knowledge?
Go crazy.
Because it’s a matter of grasping the Ungraspable
and our hands break,
a matter of touching Truth
and reason burns.
Go crazy.

Epístola

Los judíos piden señales, los griegos sabiduría,
pero yo digo: Enloqueced.
¿Dónde está el sabio, dónde está el escriba?
Ha sido escamoteada la luz del mundo.
¿Sois ciegos?
Alegraos de vuestra ceguera.
¿Sois sordos?
Alegraos de vuestra sordera.
El ciego ha sido escogido para verlo todo,
el sordo para oír lo inaudible.
Sí, enloqueced.
Porque todo los ojes han sido velados
y sólo vemos lo que no vemos,
todos los oídos han sido sellados
y sólo oímos lo que no oímos.
¿Queréis prodigios?
Enloqueced.
¿Queréis conocimiento?
Enloqueced.
Porque se trata de asir lo Inasible
y las manos se quiebran,
se trata de tocar la Verdad
y arde la razón.
Enloqueced.

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