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“The Stones” by César Vallejo 🇵🇪 (16 Mar 189215 Apr 1938)
Translated from the Spanish by Clayton Eshleman
This morning I went down
to the stones, oh the stones!
And I encouraged and coined
a brawl of stones.
Our Mother, if my footsteps
in the world cause pain,
it is because they are the flashes
of an absurd daybreak.
Stones do not offend; they
covet nothing. They solely ask
love of everybody, and they ask
love of even Nothingness.
And if some of them go away
crestfallen, or leave
ashamed, it is because
they must do something human …
But there are always those who
for the fun of it will strike one.
Thus, the moon is a white stone
sent flying by a kick …
Our Mother, this morning
I have aligned myself with the ivy,
on seeing the blue caravan
of the stones,
of the stones,
of the stones …