“Soy hombre…”
Soy hombre, he nacido, tengo piel y esperanza.
Yo exijo, por lo tanto, que me dejen usarlas.
No soy dios: soy un hombre (como decir un alga).
Pero exijo calor en mis raíces, almuerzo en mis entrañas.
No pido eternidades llenas de estrellas blancas.
… Pido ternura, cena, silencio, pan, casa…
Soy hombre, es decir, animal con palabras.
Y exijo, por lo tanto, que me dejen usarlas.
Translations of this Poem
“I am man…”
I am man: I have been born, have skin and hope
As such, I demand to be allowed to use them
I am not a god, I am a man (it’s like saying an algae)
But I demand warmth at my roots, lunch in my guts,
I don’t ask for eternities full of white stars,
I ask for tenderness, dinner, silence, bread, home…
I am man. That is to say, an animal with words.
And I demand, as such, to be allowed to use them.
About this poem
This poem, representing Costa Rica, is part of The Written World – our collaboration with BBC radio to broadcast a poem from every single nation competing in London 2012.
