The Narwhal (The Stupid Angel)
Thar he blows—! an angel denies his sea-foam-flimsy mirage.
Hurries to make crushed albatross of torn blubber and
his slain and useless fins,
and thar he blows—! afraid they’ll take his tail,
hoping-maybe
they’ll kneel and kiss his horn devotedly—
a stolen moment,
without asking for permission
If the icy-twerp is from heaven and this stupid,
why does he only swim on Earth? Tell—!
Do tell me.
Forget the Arctic, he spans the seas!
Insensible-idiotic
he is known.
The stupid angel—!
Truly—! One of the earth,
and yes, no doubt of the seas.
Poet: Rafael Alberti
Interpreter: Manny Grimaldi
13 thoughts on "The Narwhal (The Stupid Angel)"
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You know, I love the idea of this being an interpretation rather than a translation — matter of degrees. “Icy-twerp” may be my favorite.
I have more Alberti! But not tomorrow!
“Icy-twerp” caught my eye, too, so I agree with Bill on interpretation versus translation. I’ve never heard of Alberti, is he a contemporary poet or from another time? Great seeing interpretation at Lexpomo.
Rafael Alberti was an Andalusian poet of the Generation of 27, artist which included Dali and Lorca. He was a painter first, switched to the written word. Exiled after the Spanish Civil War due to his leftist sympathies. Came back to Spain and died in the same city he was born in. Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz, Spain.
I translated a few years back, Alberti, Lorca, etc…. decided to mangle it up for fun.
Love the Alberti.
“They’ll kneel and kiss his horn devotedly” niiiice.
“Stupid angel”
What an ego maniac this stupid unicorn.
Cool translation!
Narwhals might be stupid but they’re sexy, too. Heh heh heh.
Belugas are damned sexy. Bald as a cucumber.
I’m with others on loving “icy-twerp.” I would be honored to have this insult thrown my way.
I feel sympathy for this narwhal. . . . such conflicts and tension! Love this. And now I find myself searching for more Rafael Alberti! Where do I begin? ¿Algo en español por favor?
Michele. Su libro seminal fue Sobre Los Angeles. Otro libro que me encanta es “Rafael Alberti ANTOLOGÍA POÉTICA” por Alianza Editorial. Hay una colección “A la pintura” que es para morir. Finalmente, la obra “Yo era un tonto y lo que he visto me ha hecho dos tontos” es tan ridícula, tratando de el cinema Americano de los 1920, que me quedo tonto también.
Any poem that uses the phrases “thar he blows” and “icy-twerp” is BRILLIANT in my book!
“Forget the Arctic, he spans the seas!
Insensible-idiotic
he is known.”
This made me chuckle. I adds so many other interpretations for me as I am from the arctic and span the world like an idiot trying to find a warmer place to live.