Si mi Manos Pudieran Deshojar English by Federico Garcia Lorca Poem Review

SI MIS MANOS PUDIERAN DESHOJAR  English

or If only my hands could deflower.. 

by Federico Garcia Lorca 

Translated by: Teresita Blanco 

 (Libro de Poemas, 1921) 

Poem                                                 Explanations of metaphors and others things

When I pronounce your name 

in the dark hours of the night,              the speaker cannot sleep because he is thinking of his lover who is far

When the stars come                           away

to drink from the moon                      the moon personified as a mother or woman

and sleep beneath the vines 

hidden in the darkness.                      alludes to the Olive groves of Andaluzia

And I feel the hollow

passion and music.                            last love was devoid of meaning

The mad clock sings 

the dead hours of my agony.         the time he did not spend with someone

When I pronounce your name,

 in this dark night,

 and your name sounds 

farther away than ever.                   refers to the echo

Further away than all the stars. 

more painful than all the rain.           the rain is a universal metaphor for tears.

Will I love you as before             

ever again? What fault 

lies in my heart? 

If the fog has lifted,                         blind love is gone

what other passion awaits?        
Will it be tranquil and pure? 

If only my hands could                    not looking forward to new loves, the pure love he seeks is in the moon

deflower the moon!                       deflower or deshojar is only vulgar in English,

Si mi Manos Pudieran Deshojar English by Federico Garcia Lorca Poem Review

To avoid duplicate content, I will only have the English version of the poem. I took the liberty of translating it for you. No two translations look alike. As for me, I am aiming for content and not rhyme. Anyhow, this poem is about a man alone in his bedroom. He is looking out the window and watching the moon pass. He feels his old love fainting. He feels lonely and wonders about new loves. In desperation, he wishes to make love to the moon. Pretty hot if you ask me... and depressing to boot. Well, Lorca wrote this at the university. We all know that universities are real lonesome places. In any case, this love poem of Lorca deserves 5 star rating.