Distant Gardens by Juan Ramón Jiménez ...I have seen in the fountain's water deep, a woman naked... I have seen in the frond another woman... I wanted to see how the rose bushes looked in the splendor of the moon, and found carnal roses. I wanted to see the lake, and a woman fled toward the shadows. All was aroma of springlike breasts; There were no saintly hands nor righteous eyes... There in the fiesta laughed the red-lipped beauties; from out the light their eyes languidly followed me... The violins sobbed under the black grove... The somnolent gardens were silver, snow and silk...

Jardines Lejanos

by Juan Ramón Jiménez

...He visto en el agua honda

de la fuente, una mujer

desnuda... He visto en la fronda

otra mujer... Quise ver

cómo estaban los rosales

a la lumbre de la luna,

y encontré rosas carnales.

Quise ver el lago, y una

mujer huyó hacia la umbría.

Todo era aroma de senos

primaverales; no había

manos santas ni ojos buenos.

Allá en la fiesta reían

las bellas de labios rojos;

desde la luz, me seguían

lánguidamente sus ojos...

Sollozaban los violines

bajo la negra arboleda...

Los soñolientos jardines

eran plata, nieve y seda...

Translation from Spanish: Frank Thomas Smith

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