Sueñu/Suañu
By Pablo Texón
Translated By Will Howard
In my language
we distinguish
sueñu from suañu.
The first tethers us to the ground,
stuffs stones in our pockets
so we don’t get soaked
by heavy clouds.
The second leads us
to summit
impossible peaks
skipping with joy.
There is a moment
when the day, gentle, wanes,
in which suañu takes
sueñu by the hand
and in this eclipse of strange
crepuscular splendor
a burst of lucidity breaks through
and we come home to sleep
and we bolt the door
and we bolt the doors.
Translated from the Asturian
Notes:
Read the Asturian-language original, “Sueñu/Suañu,” and the translator’s note by Will Alexander.
Source: Poetry (September 2023)