I had been occupied with various other subjects as a result of other engagements. It’s about time that I get back to my series of Neruda’s food poems. This one is the last in the series. It is about one of the biggest fruits one can find, the watermelon. Whenever we think of the watermelon, what would likely appear to the mind’s eye of the ordinary folk would probably be a picture of a dozen wriggly black ribbons with frayed edges converging upon the poles of a green balloon the size of a basketball with shining skin with or without drops of recently condensed water vapor upon its glistening surface and its red juicy inside honeycoombed with tens of hard pear-shaped seeds which would melt instantly into into delicious sloshes inside one’s mouth on a hot summer day. To me, a slice of cut water melon on the table looks remarakbaly like a huge mouth bounded by a creamy color lower lip with green lip gloss widened into a big disembodied smile. But let’s hear what Neruda has to say.
Oda a la Sandia Ode to the Watermelon 西瓜頌
El árbol del verano The tree of summer, 夏樹
intenso, intense, 熱切，
invulnerable, invulnerable, 莫能損，
es todo cielo azul, is the sky all blue, 是全藍天，
sol amarillo, the sun yellow, 是黄太陽，
cansancio a goterones, sweating weariness, 是滴滴疲憊 ，
es una espada is a sword 是小徑上的
sobre los caminos, over the paths, 一劍，
un zapato quemado a shoe burning 是眾城
en las ciudades: within the cities: 燃燒中的鞋：
la claridad, el mundo the brightness, the world 那光，世界
nos agobian, is pressing on us, 正壓迫我們
nos pegan en los ojos is striking our eyes 正以塵暴
con polvareda, with dust clouds 以突如其來的金拳，
con súbitos golpes de oro with sudden gusts of gold 襲擊我們眼精
nos acosan is harassing 以小刺
los pies our feet 以熾熱的石子
con espinitas, with little thorns 煩擾
con piedras calurosas, with hot stones 我們的腳，
y la boca and the mouth 而我們的口
sufre suffers 比所有手指
más que todos los dedos: more than all the fingers: 更苦：
tienen sed the throat, 喉嚨
la garganta, the teeth 牙歯
la dentadura, the lips and the tongue 囗唇和舌頭
los labios y la lengua: are all thirsty 都渴：
queremos we wish to 我們渴望
beber las cataratas, drink the waterfalls, 飲那些瀑布，
la noche azul, the blue night, 那藍色的夜
el polo, the pole, 那地極
y etonces and then 然後
crueza el cielo crosses the sky, 橫過天際
el más fresco de todos the freshest of all 是所有行星
los planetas, planets, 最清新的，
la redonda, suprema the round, surpeme 那圓渾，至高無上
y celestial sandía. and heavenly watermelon. 和天堂般的西瓜 。
Es la fruta del árbol de la sed. It’s the fruit of the tree of thirst. 她是口渴樹之果實。
Es la balena verde del verano. It’s the green whale of summer. 她是夏天之綠鯨 。
This is the first part of Neruda‘s poem on the watermelon. I shall continue with the translations of its second part tomorrow and write my thoughts on the poem, if I have time.
akt's space 