Translation of
‘Orillas Del Duero’
by Antonio Machado Izzy Oliver Isabel Singleton
Orillas Del Duero
The Banks Of The Duero
Se ha asomado una cigüeña a lo alto del campanario.
A stork has leant out at the top of the bell tower.
Girando en torno a la torre y al caserón solitario,
Revolving around the tower and the deserted decrepit shelter,
ya las golondrinas chillan. Pasaron del blanco invierno,
already the swallows screech. They passed the white winter,
de nevascas y ventiscas los crudos soplos de infierno.
the snowstorms and gales, those breezes of hell are bitter.
Es una tibia mañana.
It is a warm morning.
El sol calienta un poquito la pobre tierra soriana.
The sun on the poor land of Soria is slightly warming.
Pasados los verdes pinos,
The green pine trees of the past are,
casi azules, primavera
nearly blue, springtide
se ve brotar en los finos
is seen emerging in the slender
chopos de la carretera
black poplars on the roadside
y del río. El Duero corre, terso y mudo, mansamente.
and by the river. The Duero flows gently, smooth and silent.
El campo parece, más que joven, adolescente.
The countryside seems, more than young, adolescent.
Entre las hierbas alguna humilde flor ha nacido,
Amongst the grass some humble flower is birthed,
azul o blanca. ¡Belleza del campo apenas florido,
blue or white. The beauty of the field scarcely flowered,
y mística primavera!
and mystical springtime!
¡Chopos del camino blanco, álamos de la ribera,
The black poplars of the white path, poplars of the riverbank,
espuma de la montaña
the foam of the mountain
ante la azul lejanía,
facing the blue distance,
sol del día, claro día!
sun of the day, clear day!
¡Hermosa tierra de España!
Beautiful land of Spain!
The Difficulties of Translating Poetry The difficulty I encountered throughout translation was trying to transcribe the exact meaning of the poem whilst maintaining the flow of it. There is inevitably change in rhyme and metre between the languages, which I attempted to reinstall, mainly by mirroring rhyming patterns. However, in some cases it is not possible to match the structure. Therefore, I find it difficult to prefer my English translation. The original has beautiful flow and rhythm, which has been sacrificed to some extent as I mainly prioritised the literal translation. For example, in the final stanza the regular rhyme was impossible to reflect whilst mirroring the meaning. Although meaning and structure have been portrayed to the best of my ability, some has been, sadly, lost in translation.
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