Castigo
Pobre de aquel jardinero,
residente en colorido vergel;
reconocer de la flor su encanto
no lo tenga por menester.
Volverá a regar el surco vacío,
con agua y urea de su propio llanto;
mas poco será aquel dolor
comparado al merecido baldón:
ver arrancada de su lecho la flor
y en el de otro sus pétalos regados.
Punishment
Pity the gardener,
dweller in a vibrant grove;
who sees the flower’s charm
but need not name it his.
He’ll return to water empty furrows,
with tears and urea of his own making;
but that pain will be nothing
compared to the rightful blow:
to see the flower torn from its bed
and her petals strewn in another’s.
(Translated from the Spanish by Jorge R. G. Sagastume)
