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“Masses” by César Vallejo 🇵🇪 (16 Mar 1892 – 15 Apr 1938)
Translated from the Spanish by Robert Bly
When the battle was over,
And the fighter was dead, a man came toward him
And said to him: “Do not die; I love you so!”
But the corpse, how sad! went on dying.
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And two came near, and repeated it.
“Do not leave us! Courage! Return to life!”
But the corpse, how sad! went on dying.
​
Twenty arrived, a hundred, a thousand, five hundred thousand,
Shouting: “So much love, and it can do nothing against death!”
But the corpse, how sad! went on dying.
​
Millions of persons stood around him,
All with the same request: “Stay here, brother!”
But the corpse, how sad! went on dying.
​
Then all the men on the earth
Stood around him; the corpse looked at them sadly, deeply moved;
He sat up slowly,
Put his arms around the furst man; started to walk …