From “Spanish Folk Songs”

Salvador De Madariaga

                  II

Of the dust of the earth 
Can I make songs.
One is scarcely over, 
A new one comes.

Del polvo de la tierra 
Saco yo coplas. 
No bien se acaba una 
Ya tengo otra.
                  LV

Like two trees we are
By fate separated.
The road is between
But the boughs are mated.

Como dos árboles somos
Que la suerte nos separa,
Con un camino por medio,
Pero se juntan las ramas.
                  CII

I see myself as a crow. 
All are wearing clothes of gladness, 
Clothed in black mourning I go.

Me comparo con el cuervo. 
Todos visten de alegría, 
Yo visto de luto negro.

This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on September 7, 2024, by the Academy of American Poets.