*****

José Kozer is one of the most highly acclaimed poets in Latin America in the last fifty years with an immense impact on several generations of poets. In recognition of his achievement he was awarded the Premio de Poesía Iberoamericana Pablo Neruda in 2013, the highest award for poetry in the Spanish-speaking world. He is the author of more than a hundred books of poetry as well as prose works and translations (via English) of Chinese and Japanese poets. Among his works published bilingually with English translation are Anima (2011) and Tokonoma (2014) from Shearsman, Indole/Of such a Nature (2018) from University of Alabama Press and Carece de causa/No Known Cause from Rialta Ediciones (2020).

*****

CONVERGENCE

Through the hole it enters the hive’s immensity,
xxxxits mouth stained with
xxxxjelly.

To leave once more to sip, swallow pollen, build,
xxxxto have to repeat this,
xxxxto enter.

Flowing sweetly, he grows tired, falls asleep in a supine position,
xxxxsleeps asleep
xxxxdozing, recognizes
xxxxhimself as an insect, not
xxxxa bee or bumblebee,
xxxxnot a bird.

Who: in bed protected by the mosquito net,
xxxxto pay attention to
xxxxwhatever he sips, letters,
xxxxcounted syllables,
xxxxin the hour of sparring
xxxxnot to lose
xxxxthe sting.

Pyrrhic victories will-o’-the- wisps he comes from
xxxxthe line of David,
xxxxto persist: to go out
xxxxand take a walk return
xxxxappear in the mirror
xxxxwith mask, with veil,
xxxxturned into a
xxxxmaster beekeeper.

*

CONVERGENCIA

Entra por la piquera a la miríada de la colmena,
xxxxse mancha la boca de
xxxxjalea.

Salir de nuevo a libar, polen tragar, fabricar,
xxxxtener que repetirse,
xxxxentrar.

Melífluo, se cansa, duerme decúbito supino,
xxxxduerme dormido
xxxxdormitando, se
xxxxreconoce insecto,
xxxxabeja no, abejorro
xxxxtampoco, ni ave.

Quién: en la cama protegido por el mosquitero,
xxxxprestar atención a
xxxxcuanto liba, letras,
xxxxsílabas contadas,
xxxxa la hora de la
xxxxesgrima no perder
xxxxel aguijón.

Victorias pírricas fuegos fatuos viene del
xxxxlinaje de David,
xxxxpersistir: salir a
xxxxpasear regresar
xxxxaparece en el
xxxxespejo con careta,
xxxxvelo, hecho un
xxxxseñor abejero.

***

CONVERGENCE

A tit looks at the carp in an ornate
xxxxpond of the Tang
xxxxEmperor, the charal
xxxxjust below the water’s
xxxxsurface, animal hordes
xxxxdestined with white rice
xxxxfor the frying pan.

It doesn’t fly it whispers in my ear the risks
xxxxit’s subjected to
xxxxgiven its limited
xxxxsize, the tiny thing
xxxxin one leap settles
xxxxon the palm of
xxxxa hand, pecks about.

In a matter of seconds it’s full it returns to its
xxxxideal state, looking.

Its tasks relative to mine bring me
xxxxto come close
xxxxto the Emperor’s
xxxxpond, I frighten
xxxxthe carp, with a
xxxxsmall net I catch
xxxxcharal, small fry,
xxxxI boil white rice
xxxxwashed seven times,
xxxxI sit down at the table,
xxxxjoin my hands together.
xxxxI’m not hungry, left
xxxxwithout touching
xxxxthe meal listened to
xxxxthe scolding she
xxxxgave me.

*

CONVERGENCIA

Un paro carbonero mira las carpas en un
xxxxestanque ornato del
xxxxEmperador Tang, los
xxxxcharales a ras del
xxxxagua, hordas animales
xxxxdestinadas con arroz
xxxxblanco a la sartén.

No vuela me susurra al oído las aventuras
xxxxa que se ve sujeto
xxxxdado su exiguo
xxxxtamaño, bicharraco
xxxxde un salto se posa
xxxxen la palma de una
xxxxmano, picotea.

Se sacia en cuestión de segundos regresa
xxxxa su ideal, mirar.

Sus quehaceres punto de referencia con los
xxxxmíos me llevan a
xxxxacercarme al
xxxxestanque del
xxxxEmperador,
xxxxespanto las carpas,
xxxxcon un jamo saco
xxxxcharales, morralla,
xxxxhiervo arroz blanco
xxxxlavado siete veces,
xxxxme siento a la mesa,
xxxxjunto las manos,
xxxxhambre no tengo,
xxxxdejaba sin tocar la
xxxxcomida oía la
xxxxtángana que me
xxxxechaba.

***

CONVERGENCE

The house had two rooms, the one at the back empty, the
xxxxwork room overflowing.

The empty room held the successive circumstances of
xxxxa long existence, the
xxxxoffice for studying
xxxxat the same time a
xxxxbedroom, eating area,
xxxxon occasions a death trap
xxxxof misery holding
xxxxthousands of books,
xxxxexercise books of notes
xxxxfor excavating emptiness.

Little behind the door, on the other side rivers and mountains.

The jade terrace was not the road of happiness: he rejected
xxxxthe wise, the literati from
xxxxthe Garden of
xxxxOrchids, Du
xxxxFu, Li Bai, Wang
xxxxWei, the most complete
xxxxleast impenetrable.

To get out of bed, leave the oneiric world’s
xxxxinsignificance, have breakfast,
xxxxsmarten himself up, go
xxxxfor a walk, look at the
xxxxriver, spend an hour
xxxxfishing, lift his
xxxxgaze, see himself looking at
xxxxthe sacred mountain
xxxxof the Song Kingdom:
xxxxtuck himself in stretched out
xxxxbetween the sheets, his
xxxxbody disintegrating
xxxxamong irises and lilies
xxxxin a supine position.

*

CONVERGENCIA

La casa tenía dos cuartos, el del fondo vacío, el
xxxxcuarto de trabajo atestado.

El cuarto vacío contuvo las circunstancias
xxxxsucesivas de una larga
xxxxexistencia, el gabinete
xxxxde estudios a la vez
xxxxdormitorio, merendero,
xxxxen ocasiones moridero
xxxxdel aquejado contenía
xxxxmillares de libros,
xxxxcuadernos de notas
xxxxdonde escarbar vacío.

Detrás de la puerta poco, del otro lado ríos y montañas.

La terraza de jade no fue el camino de la dicha: iba
xxxxsabios descartando,
xxxxliteratos del Jardín
xxxxde Orquídeas, Du
xxxxFu, Li Bai, Wang
xxxxWei, el más completo
xxxxmenos impenetrable.

Dejar la cama, la intrascendencia del mundo
xxxxonírico, desayunar,
xxxxasearse, salir a
xxxxcaminar, mirar el
xxxxrío, pasar una hora
xxxxpescando, alzar la
xxxxvista, verse viendo
xxxxla montaña sagrada
xxxxdel Reino Song:
xxxxextenuado arrebujarse
xxxxentre las sábanas, su
xxxxcuerpo disgregarse
xxxxentre lirios y azucenas
xxxxdecúbito supino.

***

CONVERGENCE

I lost interest in clouds particularly stratus ones.

Behind a cloud hot flushes of water, declines, falls,
xxxxthe quantity can’t be
xxxxknown in advance.

Where the estuary ends between Scylla and Charybdis
xxxxthe tides in their back and forth
xxxxwill want to stagnate.

Avoid excess fatigue and other forms of exuberance.

My Kingdom if I had one would come from states fundamentally of rest.
xxxxI never knew how to relax
xxxx(father’s voice).

He recommended it without signifying anything in particular.
xxxxRecommends it as a
xxxxdoctor prescribes an
xxxxanalgesic, as a mother
xxxxoffers her breast in stead
xxxxof Enfamil.

I drink I suck I close doors and windows, listen to
xxxxlabyrinthine music,
xxxxdirect orchestras,
xxxxrearrange clothes,
xxxxthrow out some, clear
xxxxout weeds kneel down
xxxxlevelled earth at the
xxxxepicentre.

*

CONVERGENCIA

Me desinteresé por las nubes en particular estratos.

Detrás de una nube los sofocos del agua, declives,
xxxxcaídas, la cantidad de
xxxxantemano desconocida.

Donde acaba el estuario entre Escila y Caribdis
xxxxlas mareas ida y vuelta
xxxxquerrán estancarse.

Evitar el exceso de fatiga y demás exhuberancias.

Mi Reino de haberlo por estados a fondo de reposo.
xxxxNunca supe descansar
xxxx(voz del padre).

Lo recomendaba sin ser señal de nada de particular.
xxxxLo recomienda como el
xxxxmédico prescribe un
xxxxanalgésico, la madre
xxxxda el pecho en vez
xxxxde Enfamil.

Yo bebo yo chupo cierro puertas y ventanas, oigo
xxxxmúsica laberíntica,
xxxxdirijo orquestas,
xxxxreordeno la ropa,
xxxxboto alguna, chapeo
xxxxmaleza me hinco
xxxxtierra arrasada en
xxxxel epicentro.

Peter Boyle is an award-winning Australian poet and translator of poetry. He has eleven books of poetry published and nine books as a translator of poetry from Spanish. His most recent collection is Companions, Ancestors, Inscriptions (Vagabond Press, 2024). His translations include Anima (Shearsman, 2011), Of Such a Nature/Indole (The University of Alabama Press, 2018) and De últimas horas/Of Last Hours (Rialta Ediciones, 2023) by Cuban poet José Kozer, The Trees: Selected Poems of Eugenio Montejo (Salt Publishing, 2004) and Three Poets: Olga Orozco, Marosa Di Giorgio and Jorge Palma (Vagabond Press, 2017). His translations of Pierre Reverdy, René Char, Max Jacob, Yves Bonnefoy and Guillevic have appeared in journals and anthologies in the US and the UK. In 2013 he was awarded the New South Wales Premier’s Award for Literary Translation. He holds a Doctorate of Creative Arts from the University of Western Sydney. Peter lives in Sydney, Australia.

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