YLA El Salvador Mission Trip Day 5 cont.

Poema de Amor/Love Poem (Los Guanacos) by Roque Dalton (SV= Spanish Version, EV= English Version) (this is a bitter sweet song about the stereotypes that are often given to El Salvadoreans but with the reminder that they are really our brothers and sisters; please excuse the strong language)

Verse 1:

SV- Los que ampliaron el Canal de Panama (y fueron clasificados como “silver roll” y no como “gold roll”

EV- Those that widened the Panama Canal (and were graded “silver roll” and not “gold roll”), Those that repaired the Pacific fleet in the bases of California

Verse 2:

SV- Los que se pudrieron en las carceles de Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua por ladrones, por contrabandistas, por estafadores, por hambrientos,

los siempre sospechosos de todo (“me permit remitirle al interfecto por esquinero sospecho soy con el agravante de ser salvadoreno”),

EV- Those that rotted in the jails of Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua, for being thieves, for being contrabandists, for being scammers, for being hungry,

they are always suspected of everything (“Let me sentence the deceased for being a suspicious loiterer, and worse still Salvadoran”)

Verse 3:

SV- las que llenaron los bares y los burdeles de todos los puertos y las capitals de la zona (“La gruta azul”, “El Calzoncito”, “Happyland”),

los sembradores de maiz en plena selva extranjera,

EV- Those that filled the bars and bordellos of all the ports and capital of the region (La gruta azul, El calzoncito, Happyland)

the planters of corn in foreign jungles,

Verse 4:

SV- los reyes de la pagina roja,

los que nunca sabe nadie de donde son,

EV- the kings of the red pages

the ones that nobody ever knows where theyare from

Verse 5:

SV- los mejores artesanos del mundo,

los que fueron cosidos a balazos al cruzar la frontera,

EV- the best artisans in the world,

those that were sown with bullets when they cross the border

Verse 6:

SV- los que murieron de paludismo o de los picadas del scorpion o la barba amarilla en el infierno de las banereras,

los que lloran borrachos por el himno nacional bajo el ciclon del Pacifico o la nieve del norte,

EV- Those that died of malaria or scorpion bites or pit vipers in the banana tree hell,

those that cry drunk at the national anthem in pacific cyclones or the snows of the north,

Verse 7:

SV- los arrimados, los mendigos, los marihuaneros, los guanacos hijos de la gran puta,

los que apenitas pudieron regresar, los que tuvieron un poco mas de suerte,

EV- Those up against the wall, the beggers, the pot smokers, los guanacos sons of bitches,

those that barely made it back, those that had a little more luck,

Verse 8:

SV- los eternos indocumentados, los hacelotodo, los vendelotodo, los comelototdo, los primeros en sacar el chuchillo,

los tristes mas tristes del mundo,

EV- The eternally undocumented, the do it alls, the sell it alls, the eat it alls, the first to take out a knife,

the sad ones, the sadest in the world

Verse 9:

SV- mis compatriots, mis hermanos.

EV- My countrymen, my brothers.