Lope de Vega

Soneto

Cual engañado niño que, contento,
pintado pajarillo tiene atado,
y le deja en la cuerda, confiado,
tender las alas por el manso viento;

y cuando más en esta gloria atento,
quebrándose el cordel, quedó burlado,
siguiéndole, en sus lágrimas bañado,
con los ojos y el triste pensamiento,

contigo he sido, Amor; que mi memoria
dejé llenar de pensamientos vanos,
colgados de la fuerza de un cabello.

Llevóse el viento el pájaro y mi gloria,
y dejóme el cordel entre las manos,
que habrá por fuerza de servirme al cuello.



Sonnet

Like a deluded child who, happily
a brightly colored bird has deftly tied,
and leaves it on the string, in confidence,
in the calm breeze its wings to exercise;

and when he's most attentive to his game,
as the string breaks, his hopes go all awry;
he follows it, bathed in his flowing tears,
with his sad thoughts and disillusioned eyes,

with you I've been, oh Love; my memory
I let fill up with futile sentiments,
that hanging by a hair in limbo float.

The wind swept off the bird and all my joy,
and left me with the string between my hands,
which now I'm left to use on my own throat.

                     (©Alix Ingber, 1995)



E-mail your comments and questions to:

Alix Ingber
Professor of Spanish
Sweet Briar College

ingber@sbc.edu



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