Selected Poetry of Delmira Agustini: Poetics of Eros

218 Pages·2008·0.69 MB·English

by  Dr. Alejandro Caceres

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“Selected Poetry of Delmira Agustini: Poetics of e
Eros provides a masterful introduction to the life and l
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works of Delmira Agustini. Even more importantly,
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through its thoughtfully executed translations, the t Poetry of
English-speaking public is afforded, for the first time, e
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access to the complex and sophisticated poetry that

turned Agustini into a celebrity during her lifetime P
o Delmira
and a role model for generations to come.”—Cathy
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L. Jrade, author of Modernismo, Modernity, and the t
Development of Spanish American Literature r
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Agustini

This graceful translation and bilingual edition is o
the first to bring English readers a representative f

sampling of the poetry Delmira Agustini published D
before her untimely death in 1914 at the age of e
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twenty-seven. Translated by native Uruguayan
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Alejandro Cáceres and including work from each of
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Agustini’s four published books, this collection is a
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response to a resurgent interest not just in the poems

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but in the passionate and daring woman behind them.
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Edited and Translated by Alejandro Cáceres
since 1977. He is the editor of the definitive critical e
edition of the complete poems of Delmira Agustini, t
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published in Uruguay by Ediciones de la Plaza. c With a Foreword by Willis Barnstone
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Southern Illinois of A r
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1915 University Press Drive ISBN 0-8093-2868-2 Stat s
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Selected Poetry of Delmira Agustini
Contents / i
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Contents / ii
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[
Selected Poetry of
Delmira Agustini
Poetics of Eros
edited and translated by
Alejandro Cáceres
with a foreword by
Willis Barnstone
southern illinois university press ⁄ carbondale
Contents / iii
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Copyright © 2003 by the Board of Trustees,
Southern Illinois University
Paperback edition 2008
Foreword copyright © 2003 by Willis Barnstone
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
11 10 09 08 4 3 2 1
Frontispiece: Delmira Agustini ca. 1907. Courtesy of the National Library
of Uruguay, Raúl Vallarino, Director. Photo of image by Daniel Mesa.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Agustini, Delmira, 1886–1914.
[Poems. English & Spanish. Selections]
Selected poetry of Delmira Agustini : poetics of Eros /
edited and translated by Alejandro Cáceres ; with a foreword
by Willis Barnstone.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Agustini, Delmira, 1886–1914—Translations into English.
I. Cáceres, Alejandro. II. Title.
pq8519.a5a23 2003
861´.62—dc21
isbn-13: 978-0-8093-2537-5 (cloth : alk. paper) 2003050394
isbn-10: 0-8093-2537-3 (cloth : alk. paper)
isbn-13: 978-0-8093-2868-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)
isbn-10: 0-8093-2868-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Printed on recycled paper.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1992.
Contents / iv
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Contents / v
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To my mother, Carmen Ana,
in memoriam
Contents / vi
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i
Contents
Foreword: A Poet of Life Who Prefigures the Future in Poetry
Denied Her by Two Bullets Willis Barnstone xiii
Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xxi
Introduction 1
DeEl libro blanco (Frágil) (1907)
From The White Book (Fragile) (1907)
El poeta leva el ancla 34
The Poet Weighs the Anchor
La estatua 36
The Statue
Una chispa 38
A Spark
Misterio: Ven . . . 40
Mystery: Come . . .
Intima 42
Intimate
Explosión 46
Explosion
Amor 48
Love
El intruso 50
The Intruder
La copa del amor 52
The Love Cup
Mi aurora 56
My Dawn
Desde lejos 58
From Far Away
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DeCantos de la mañana (1910)
From Morning Songs (1910)
De “Elegías dulces” 62
From “Sweet Elegies”
El vampiro 66
The Vampire
(La noche entró en la sala adormecida) 68
The night entered in the sleeping room
(La intensa realidad de un sueño lúgubre) 70
The intense reality of a dismal dream
La ruptura 72
The Rupture
Lo inefable 74
The Ineffable
Las coronas 76
The Crowns
Las alas 78
The Wings
El nudo 82
The Knot
Fue al pasar 84
Passing By
Tú dormías . . . 86
You Were Sleeping . . .
Los relicarios dulces 88
The Sweet Reliquaries
El raudal 90
Torrent
Los retratos 92
The Portraits
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DeLos cálices vacíos (1913)
From The Empty Chalices (1913)
(Debout sur mon orgueil je veux montrer au soir) 96
(De pie, sobre mi orgullo, quiero mostrarte, ¡oh noche!)
Standing, on my pride, I want to show you, O night!
A Eros 98
To Eros
Tu boca 100
Your Mouth
Oh tú! 102
Oh You!
Día nuestro 106
Our Day
Visión 108
Vision
Con tu retrato 112
With Your Portrait
Otra estirpe 114
Another Lineage
El surtidor de oro 116
The Golden Fountain
Fiera de amor 118
Fierce of Love
Ceguera 120
Blindness
Inextinguible . . . 122
Inextinguishable . . .
Nocturno 124
Nocturnal
El cisne 126
The Swan
Plegaria130
Entreaty
A lo lejos . . . 134
At a Distance . . .
Contents / ix
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