| Yo galán imperfecto Yo danzarín al borde del abismo, |
I am an imperfect man I dance on the edge of the abyss, |
| Yo sacristán obsceno Niño prodigio de los basurales, |
I, an obscene sexton, Child prodigy of the rubbish dumps, |
| Yo sobrino – yo nieto Yo confabulador de siete suelas, |
I, nephew — I, grandson I, confabulator of seven souls, |
| Yo señor de las moscas Yo descuartizador de golondrinas, |
I, lord of the flies and breaker of swallows, |
| Yo jugador de fútbol Yo nadador del Estero las Toscas, |
I, a soccer player, swimmer at Estero las Toscas, |
| Yo violador de tumbas Yo satanás enfermo de paperas, |
I am a rapist of graves a Satan sick with the mumps, |
| Yo conscripto remiso Yo ciudadano con derecho a voto, |
I, a draft-dodger a citizen with voting rights, |
| Yo ovejero del diablo Yo boxeador vencido por mi sombra, |
I, the devil’s sheep a boxer defeated by my shadow, |
| Yo bebedor insigne Yo sacerdote de la buena mesa, |
I drink of the symbols, a priest of the good table, |
| Yo campeón de cueca Yo campeón absoluto de tango De guaracha, de rumba, de vals, |
I champion underwear I absolutely champion the tango, the cha-cha, the rumba, the waltz, |
| Yo pastor protestante Yo camarón, yo padre de familia, |
I, a protestant pastor a shrimp, father of a family, |
| Yo pequeño burgués Yo profesor de ciencias ocultas, |
I, petit bourgeois a professor of occult sciences, |
| Yo comunista, yo conservador Yo recopilador de santos viejos, |
I communist, I conservative I collector of old saints, |
| (Yo turista de lujo) | (I, luxury tourist) |
| Yo ladrón de gallinas Yo danzarín inmóvil en el aire, |
I, thief of chickens Dance immobile in the air, |
| Yo verdugo sin máscara Yo semidiós egipcio con cabeza de pájaro, |
I, hangman without a mask Egyptian demigod with a bird’s head, |
| Yo de pie en una roca de cartón: Háganse las tinieblas |
I stand on a cardboard rock: I become the darkness |
| Hágase el caos, háganse las nubes, |
Let chaos create the clouds, |
| Yo delincuente nato Sorprendido infraganti |
I am a born criminal Surprised infraganti |
| Robando flores a la luz de la luna Pido perdón a diestra y siniestra Pero no me declaro culpable. |
Stealing flowers in the moonlight I ask forgiveness from the right and left But I do not plead guilty. |
| — Nicanor Parra was born this day in 1914. | — Google Translate, with a little smoothing from JJM |
In the end, we are only left with tomorrow. I raise my glass to the day that never arrives.— NP
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