THE POET

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1
THE POET
FIFTEEN POEMS BY DOMINGO RIVERO
1 edicin, septiembre de 2014
de los textos: Museo Poeta Domingo Rivero.
de la ilustracin de cubierta: John Mayall, London & Brighton.
de las ilustracines de interior: Fondos Museo Poeta Domingo Rivero.
de la traduccin: Mara del Mar Santana Falcn.
de esta edicin: Museo Poeta Domingo Rivero.
ISBN: 978 84 15152 36 1
El proyecto de edicin de esta obra se ha llevado a cabo ntegramente por
CamPDS Editores y CanariaseBook
Avda. Rafael Cabrera n 8, Ofcina E1
35002 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
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Queda prohibida cualquier forma de reproduccin o distribucin
del ebook no prevista en la ley, sin contar con la autorizacin
escrita de los titulares de la propiedad intelectual.
1
st
edition, September 2014
Texts Museo Poeta Domingo Rivero.
Cover photograph John Mayall, London & Brighton.
Inside photographs Fondos Museo Poeta Domingo Rivero.
Translation Mara del Mar Santana Falcn.
Edition Museo Poeta Domingo Rivero.
ISBN: 978 84 15152 36 1
The edition project of this book has been fully carried out by
CamPDS Editores and CanariaseBook
Avda. Rafael Cabrera n 8, Ofcina E1
35002 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
[email protected] | [email protected]
No part of this ebook may be reproduced or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, without the prior written
permission of the copyright holders.
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EL POETA THE POET
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DOMINGO RIVERO
BIOGRAFA
1852. Domingo Rivero nace el 23 de marzo en Arucas, Gran
Canaria.
1864. Se traslada hasta la ciudad de Las Palmas de Gran
Canaria para estudiar el Bachillerato en el Colegio de
San Agustn.
1869. Es miembro del Comit de la Juventud Republicana
de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
1870. Viaja a Francia y vive durante tres aos en Inglate-
rra, donde estudia en el University College London, y
acude con asiduidad a las sesiones de pera de Covent
Garden. Realiza sus estudios de Derecho en Sevilla y
en Madrid.
1881. Se establece en Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
1884. Es nombrado Registrador de la Propiedad. Presta ju-
ramento como Relator de la Audiencia Territorial de
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
1885. El 9 de febrero contrae matrimonio con Doa Mara
de las Nieves del Castillo Olivares y Fierro.
DOMINGO RIVERO
BIOGRAPHY
1852. Domingo Rivero was born on 23
rd
March, in Arucas,
Gran Canaria.
1864. He moved to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to begin
Higher Secondary Education Studies at Colegio de
San Agustn.
1869. He became a member of the Young Republican Party
Committee in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
1870. After travelling to France and living for three years
in England, where he studied at University College
London, and he used to attend the opera sessions
at Covent Garden, he studied Law in Seville and
Madrid.
1881. He settled in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
1884. He was appointed Registrar of Property. He took
the oath as Reporter of the Territorial Court in Las
Palmas de Gran Canaria.
1885. He married Mara de las Nieves del Castillo Olivares
y Fierro, on 9
th
February.
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EL POETA THE POET
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1899. El 1 de enero se publica su poema Las dos alas en
el peridico Espaa, editado en Las Palmas de Gran
Canaria.
1904. En octubre es nombrado Secretario de Gobierno
de la Audiencia Territorial de Las Palmas de Gran
Canaria.
1922. Se publica en la revista La Pluma, Madrid, su soneto
Yo, a mi cuerpo.
1924. El 29 de julio se jubila como profesional del
Derecho.
1927. Comienza a barajar la posibilidad de publicar una
seleccin de sus poemas.
1928. El 24 de junio fallece su hijo Juan. Abandona el pro-
psito de publicar su poesa.
1929. En la madrugada del 7 al 8 de septiembre, Domingo
Rivero fallece en su domicilio de la calle Torres, actual
sede del Museo Poeta Domingo Rivero.
1899. His poem Las dos alas (Te two wings) was pu-
blished on 1
st
January by the newspaper Espaa, in Las
Palmas de Gran Canaria.
1904. He was appointed Government Secretary of the
Territorial Court in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
in October.
1922. His sonnet Yo, a mi cuerpo (Me, to my body) was
published by the Madrid-based magazine La Pluma.
1924. His career as a law professional came to an end on 29
th

July.
1927. He started considering the idea of compiling and
publishing his lifes work.
1928. His son Juan died, on 24
th
June. He abandoned the pro-
ject of publishing a complete anthology of his poems.
1929. In the early hours of the 8
th
September, Domingo Ri-
vero died in his family home at Torres Street, which
currently hosts his Museum.
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EL POETA THE POET
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DOMINGO RIVERO
POR CLAUDIO DE LA TORRE
Se debi acaso escriba yo hace unos aos en el ABC de Ma-
drid al primer libro de versos de Toms Morales, Los poemas
de la Gloria, del Amor y del Mar, publicado en 1908, casi todo el
movimiento potico de entonces en las Islas Canarias, que fue
poco ms del que engendr una sola ciudad: Las Palmas. Des-
de aquel ao distante y tranquilo hasta los ms turbulentos de
la Guerra Europea, la llama prendi tan rpidamente que lleg
a formar, incluso, una visible hoguera. Se dio, pues, el fen-
meno, tan confortable, de que en una ciudad comercial, como
conviene por otra parte a su destino, pudiera vivir y prosperar
una apreciable comunidad de poetas. Una lista de estos, con los
que conviv en los aos de mi juventud, una simple enumera-
cin de sus nombres, bien pronto recogidos profusamente por
las revistas literarias de la poca, merece una vez ms nues-
tro recuerdo. Los poetas son, Luis Doreste, Alonso Quesada,
Saulo Torn, Agustn Millares Carl, Pedro Perdomo Acedo,
Luis B. Inglott, Fernando Gonzlez, Montiano Placeres, Flix
Delgado, por no citar sino aquellos que consiguieron un eco,
ms o menos distinto, en el campo renaciente de entonces, de
nuestra lrica.
Todos nacen en la misma isla, casi en la misma ciudad.
Todos aportan una variada contribucin potica: desde la n-
tima violencia, tan conmovedora, de Alonso Quesada, hasta la
quieta conformidad ejemplar de Saulo Torn. Pero en la lista
no estn todos. Aun queda, aislada, la voz inconfundible de
DOMINGO RIVERO
BY CLAUDIO DE LA TORRE
A few years ago, I wrote an article for Madrids ABC, dis-
cussing the publishing of Tomas Morales 1908 frst poetry
collection, Los poemas de la Gloria, del Amor y del Mar within
the context of the intense poetical activity starting to take
place in the Gran Canarian capital of Las Palmas. From
the turn of the century until the outbreak of the Great War,
the writers of this distant archipelago, on the fringes of Eu-
rope, fanned the sparks of their poetic muse into something
of a raging confagration. A signifcant community of poets
called Las Palmas home, living and writing in what was
destined to become a commercial hub in the Atlantic. Wri-
ters of the stature of Luis Doreste, Alonso Quesada, Saulo
Torn, Agustn Millares Carl, Pedro Perdomo Acedo,
Luis B. Inglott, Fernando Gonzlez, Montiano Placeres,
and Flix Delgado all added their voices to this emerging
collective of Canarian poets.
Tey were all born on the same island, most of them in the
same city. Tey all made unique and diverse contributions to
the poetry of the island: from Alonso Quesadas utilization
of intimate and moving violence to Saulo Torons exemplary
and calm conformism.
However, there is a name missing from this list, a particu-
lar voice whispering in isolation. Tat voice belongs to Do-
mingo Rivero, the eldest Canarian poet of the time. Rive-
ro lived a relatively long life, though he died with his work
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EL POETA THE POET
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Don Domingo Rivero, el ms viejo en edad de los poetas cana-
rios de aquellos tiempos. Don Domingo tuvo una larga vida y
una venerada ancianidad, pero muri pasados los setenta aos
de su existencia sin decidirse a publicar sus versos. Confesaba
en la intimidad su profundo terror a la imprenta y sus erra-
tas. Su nombre, pues, son en muy contadas ocasiones. Pero
el curioso que abra Las Rosas de Hrcules, de Toms Morales,
encontrar en una nota fnal, hacia la pgina 145, uno de sus
pocos sonetos impresos. Naturalmente que la imprenta justif-
c la aversin que le inspirara, eternizando el poema con dos
erratas de bulto, por lo menos. Corregidas estas en mi ejemplar
por la propia mano de Don Domingo, debe decir as el soneto:
Apolo te conserve la fuerza y el reposo,
nieto de labradores, que en tus estrofas juntas
el pulso del yuguero y el ritmo poderoso
con que en el campo avanzan las sosegadas yuntas.
Por ti surgiendo van en amplios medallones,
los viejos campesinos de continente austero
y trajes que dejaban latir los corazones
tejidos toscamente en el telar casero.
All, entre sus montaas, cumplieron su destino;
profunda fue su huella y corto su camino
Tu pluma los evoca junto a la fuente clara
con que regar solan en lo alto de la sierra,
y, atvica, tu mano, en vez de escribir, ara
trazando sus fguras sobre la misma tierra.
unpublished. He privately confessed that he was profoundly
scared of seeing his work committed to print. Printing errors
in particular were a source of some frustration for this writer.
His name is one not often raised in scholarly circles, even in
his homeland. Should a curious reader open Tomas Morales
book, Las Rosas de Hrcules, they will fnd a fnal note, on
page 145, which includes one of the few printed sonnets by
our poet. Perhaps Riveros fear of publishing is understanda-
ble, especially when one considers that even this small work
was committed to print featuring two large errors. In my
copy of this book Domingo corrected the mistakes himself.
Te correct sonnet reads:
May Apollo keep your strength and your rest,
Grandson of farmhand, you joined in your verse
Te pulse of the ploughman and the powerful rhythm
Of the yokes in the country, moving so calm.
Because of you, they are growing in number,
old farmers like you, so austere in their continent,
Wearing their suits, which host hearts still beating,
Weaved so coarsely in the home humble loom.
Up there, amongst their mountains, they achieved their destiny
Teir footstep profound, their way very short...
Your quill will evoke them by the fountain clear
From which they watered their mountains so high
And your hand, atavistic, it does not write, it can plough
Drawing their fgure on the same soil.
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EL POETA THE POET
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Este soneto fue de los pocos cuya publicacin autoriz su autor,
movido quiz por la muerte prematura del poeta Toms Mo-
rales, a quien le una amistad y parentesco. En cuanto al resto
de su obra, no podemos los que le conocimos hablar de Don
Domingo sin recordar inmediatamente a su hijo, a Juan Rivero
del Castillo Olivares, nombre que debera fgurar asimismo en
nuestra historia insular, porque a falta de otros menesteres lite-
rarios, que tambin los tuvo, fue el ms apasionado divulgador
de la obra de su padre. Gracias a l, al hijo, no se han perdido del
todo en nuestra memoria los versos que tantas veces nos ley:
De la ermita perdida
en la falda del monte solitario,
imagen de mi vida
entre ruinas se eleva el campanario.
Mi vida fracas: desvanecidos
contempl mis anhelos; y mis hombros
siento que ya vacilan doloridos
de sostener escombros.
Pero en mi pecho se conserva sana,
como en mi fuerte juventud lejana,
la recndita fbra
donde, como entre ruinas la campana,
el ideal an vibra.
He aqu un acento peculiar de su poesa: este verse de
continuo refejado en el mundo que le rodea, en las cosas
menores de ese mundo. As, nuestro poeta supo encontrar
Tis is one of the few sonnets published with Riveros full
consent. Regarding the rest of his lifes work, those of us
who met him cannot forget his son, Juan Rivero del Casti-
llo Olivares, another name deserving of remembrance in our
islands history. As well as a number of other literary tasks,
he was the most passionate disseminator of his fathers work.
It is thanks to the son that the words of the father have not
been forever lost to time, as Juan read them to us so many
times:
On the slopes of the lonely mount
Amongst the ruins of the lost chapel,
Image of my life
Te bell in its belfry is standing out.
My life died away: and I could see
My longings vanish; and in their pain
I feel my shoulders bowing whilst
I carry the remains.
But in my breast I keep, very deep within,
As with the strength of my distant youth,
Te very fbre of my being, wherein
Te ideal, my ideal, still resounds,
Like the bell in its belfry amongst the ruins.
Here we can enjoy the unique accent and feel of Riveros
work, appreciating a man who sees himself refected in the
world around him. Riveros particular genius was to fnd the
animating spark within the seemingly lifeless and inanima-
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EL POETA THE POET
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poesa, y la mejor poesa, en cosas que parecan casi muertas.
Llega incluso a titular de este modo a dos de sus poemas:
Silla de junto al lecho y A los muebles de mi cuarto. No
pudo en realidad mirar ms cerca. Pero all haba tambin
algo indefnible, que l supo expresar.
Quin guardar hoy estos versos familiares, en los que
fue quedando repartida, aqu y all, por todos los rincones de
su cuarto, la mirada vigilante del poeta, apoyada la blanca
cabeza en la mano y el hondo pecho conmovido?
Un da se mir tambin al espejo y vio su imagen. Pasa-
ba ya de largo el medio siglo de existencia. En aquel instante,
en la penumbra de su alcoba, se sinti por primera vez poeta.
Pero como la juventud estaba ya perdida, la poesa le brota
con un verbo refexivo, maduro y grave, alcanzando sin es-
fuerzo alguno los ms patticos acentos.
Est el poeta frente al espejo. La poca luz de la tar-
de no entra en la habitacin. Se ha quedado en el patio
abierto de su casa canaria, a la que empieza a arrullar de
lejos el mar de la noche. As le llega al corazn la soledad
del mundo.
No se esfuerza por distinguir su imagen. Est all, cla-
vada en el espejo. Es alta, oscura, erguida hasta los hombros.
Slo la barba blanca se inclina sobre el pecho.
Por qu no te he de amar, cuerpo en que vivo?
Por qu con humildad no he de quererte
si en ti fui nio y joven, y en ti arribo,
viejo, a las tristes playas de la muerte?
te. He trained a surgeons eye on the minutiae about him,
expressing profound truths about everyday objects and cir-
cumstances. Chair beside the bed and To the furniture of
my room are two particularly striking examples of this me-
ticulous approach. His genius was in making the seemingly
unexplainable cogent and understandable.
Riveros words whisper to us across an ocean of time; the
scene as vivid today as if was then the grizzled white-haired
head resting on a hand, chest heavy with feeling, his eyes stra-
ying about the room, focused and attentive in his scrutiny of
his surroundings. Who may be keeping his lines today?
One day he caught sight of his refection in the mirror.
He was more than half a century old. In that moment, in the
shadows of his room, he felt he was a poet for the frst time.
But his youth had already gone, so his poetry grew from a
deep, refexive and mature spirit.
Te poet was in front of the mirror. Te evening light
was weak, barely enough to light his room. It had stayed in
the open patio of his Canarian house, which was starting to
be lulled to sleep by the night sea in the distance. Tis was
how solitude in the world reached his heart.
He was not making any efort to appreciate his image.
Te mirrors gaze simply captured the truth of who he was.
And why shouldnt I love you, oh body, in which
I live? Why shouldnt I love you humbly,
If I were a child in you, then a young man, and soon
As an elder arriving at the sad shores of death?
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EL POETA THE POET
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Tu pecho ha sollozado compasivo
por m, en los rudos golpes de mi suerte;
ha jadeado con mi sed, y altivo
con mi ambicin lati cuando era fuerte.
Y hoy te rindes al fn, pobre materia,
extenuada de angustia y de miseria.
Por qu no te he de amar? Qu ser el da
que t dejes de ser? Profundo arcano!
Solo s que en tus hombros hice ma
mi cruz, mi parte en el dolor humano.
Este es el famoso soneto de Don Domingo Rivero, al me-
nos en la versin que yo conservo. Convendra que nos pu-
siramos todos de acuerdo sobre su forma defnitiva. Quin
nos la podra dar hoy, con las garantas necesarias? El soneto
es ya popular en los mejores medios culturales de Madrid y,
cualquier da, aparecer por derecho propio en las grandes an-
tologas espaolas. Porque es posible que se trate del mejor
soneto contemporneo. (Por favor, amigo cajista: cuidado con
las erratas!)
DE LA TORRE, CLAUDIO. Domingo Rivero @ Diario de Las Palmas, Las
Palmas de Gran Canaria, 14-08-1954.
Your breast did sob for me, compassionate,
Under the harsh relentless blows of circumstance;
It panted with my thirst, and in
Te strength of my ambition it also boasted proudly.
And now at last you yield, oh mortal shell,
Exhausted by misery and agony.
Why should I not love you? What shall I be
Te day you are no more? Oh deep arcanum!
I only know that on your shoulders, the
Cross I had to bear, I made it mine, my part in human pain.
Here is the famous sonnet by Domingo Rivero. Tis is the
version that I keep, but it must have one only form. However,
who may give it to us, with the guarantees we need? Te son-
net is already very popular amongst the best cultural media in
Madrid. One day it is certain to appear in the most important
Spanish anthologies, as it stands as a testament to the mans
greatness, perhaps to be acclaimed in time as the greatest work
of the period. (So, dear typesetter, tread softly, for in your
eforts you tread upon the dreams of Domingo Rivero.)
DE LA TORRE, CLAUDIO. Domingo Rivero @ Diario de Las Palmas,
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 14-08-1954.
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EL POETA THE POET
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PRLOGO
TRADUCIR A DOMINGO RIVERO
T me hablas en silencio, yo entiendo tu lenguaje.
Domingo Rivero
Presentar a las Letras Universales a un maestro de la Literatu-
ra Canaria como Domingo Rivero (1852-1929) a travs de su
traduccin en lengua inglesa se nos antoja una labor de gran
envergadura y difcil explicacin. Por ello, pedimos disculpas al
tiempo que confamos en no decepcionar al lector si se acerca
a este prlogo esperando encontrar un cronolgico recuento de
la vida y obra del poeta. La divulgacin de su produccin lrica
y de su humilde persona es nobilsima tarea del Museo Poeta
Domingo Rivero, promotor de esta publicacin. Asimismo, se
cuentan incluso entre los miembros de la RAE, en el caso de
Francisco Brines, o entre los grandes representantes de los es-
tudios literarios en Canarias, en el de Eugenio Padorno, Jorge
Rodrguez Padrn, Manuel Gonzlez Sosa o Antonio Becerra
Bolaos, quienes nos han aproximado a Domingo Rivero en
sus valiosos estudios. De ah que, adems de las notas que en-
contrar a pie de pgina, consideremos ms oportuno presentar
al lector en las siguientes lneas nuestra particular explicacin
de las soluciones y tcnicas traslativas adoptadas para tan sutil
empresa: traducir a Domingo Rivero, Te Poet.
Hasta ahora, resultaba difcil no estar de acuerdo con los
crticos en que la fgura de Domingo Rivero haba permane-
PRLOGO
TRANSLATING DOMINGO RIVERO
You speak to me in your silence, I understand your language.
Domingo Rivero
Introducing Domingo Rivero (1852-1929) to the literary
world through an English translation is a herculean task. Tis
is why we apologize in advance should the reader expect this
prologue to deliver a chronological account of the life and work
of this Canarian poet. Presenting Domingo Riveros work as
well as his humble demeanour is the primary task of the ins-
titution Museo Poeta Domingo Rivero, located in the family
house at n 10, Torres Street, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Tis Museum has promoted the publication of the selection
of translated poems which rests in your hands. Moreover,
amongst the members of the Spanish Royal Academy of Lan-
guage, such as Francisco Brines, as well as the most impor-
tant representatives from the Canarian Literary Studies, like
Eugenio Padorno, Jorge Rodrguez Padrn, Manuel Gonzlez
Sosa or Antonio Becerra Bolaos, we can fnd experts who
have helped us understand the personality and the work of
Domingo Rivero in many studies which we do not have space
to approach here either. Terefore, while additional informa-
tion is presented in the form of footnotes, the primary goal of
this introduction is to demystify the process by which we have
translated the poetical works of Domingo Rivero, Te Poet.
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EL POETA THE POET
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cido velada. En su reconocida Introduccin a la Literatura Ca-
naria
1
, Oswaldo Guerra Snchez lo considera un paradigma
de escritor canario durante aos sujeto a un silencioso trabajo
de escritura abocado a la ineditez, refrindose al largo tiempo
que debi transcurrir hasta que una recopilacin completa de
sus obras apareciera en 1994. Bien es cierto que esta parcia-
lidad pudo empaar de una suerte de provisionalidad crti-
ca a sus observaciones, segn defendan algunos hacia 1980,
cuando no les deparaba la sensacin de refexionar en el va-
co. Quizs entonces resultara legtimo pensar que una obra
no conocida en su totalidad podra anular, desde un punto de
vista estrictamente terico, cuantas conclusiones se verifcasen
sobre la parte divulgada
2
. Sin embargo, como tan acertada-
mente lo hicieron sus estudiosos, queremos seguir intuyendo
que lo que an pueda descubrirse en esa zona oscura no habr
de desviarse de la potica contenida en sus poesas publicadas,
ni mucho menos en las que aqu se encuentran ya traducidas.
En su presentacin a la antologa Yo, a mi cuerpo, publica-
da por la editorial catalana Acantilado en 2006, el acadmico
Francisco Brines sealaba que hasta entonces haba sido slo
silencio en el resto de Espaa. Ahora que ven la luz estas tra-
ducciones al ingls, lengua universal, la voz de Domingo Rive-
ro podr ser escuchada ms all de nuestras fronteras. Llegados
al ao 2014, la publicacin de Te Poet nos permite creer en la
1. Disponible en: http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/educacion/culturacana-
ria/litera/literatura.htm (11/11/2013).
2. SNCHEZ ROBAYNA, A. Domingo Rivero y la herencia becqueriana @
Aguayro: Boletn Informativo de la Caja de Canarias, 1980-08, n 126, p. 28.
Until recently, it was hard to disagree with the critical
assessment of Domingo Rivero as an unknown and unde-
rappreciated talent. In his well-recognized Introduccin a la
Literatura Canaria
1
, Oswaldo Guerra Snchez considers him
a paradigm of the Canarian writer, destined to remain un-
published. Tis assessment is strengthened by the fact so
many years elapsed before a complete anthology of his poems
frst appeared in 1994. Te fragmentary nature of Domingo
Riveros work and the little known features of his writing
methods left the critics feeling as if they were preaching in
the wilderness
2
. One thing, however, that quickly became
apparent to Domingo Riveros literary executors was the un-
deniable lyricism and beauty of his style, something that also
shines through in this anthology, even in translation.
In his introduction to the anthology Yo, a mi cuerpo,
edited by the Catalonian publishers Acantilado in 2006,
Francisco Brines pointed out that until then it was only si-
lence in the rest of Spain. Now that these translations into
English are coming to light, the voice of Domingo Rivero
will echo beyond our shores. In 2014, the publication of
Te Poet fnally delivers his work to a worldwide audience.
Tis annotated selection of ffteen poems, translated into
English, safeguards and projects Domingo Riveros literary
legacy and as a translative exercise required the same appli-
1. Available at: http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/educacion/culturacanaria/
litera/literatura.htm (11/11/2013).
2. SNCHEZ ROBAYNA, A. Domingo Rivero y la herencia becqueriana @
Aguayro: Boletn Informativo de la Caja de Canarias, 1980-08, n 126, p. 28.
22
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EL POETA THE POET
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23
consolidacin y la continuidad tanto de su obra potica como
de los estudios que se han realizado y de los que se puedan em-
prender sobre su persona o su poesa. Representa esta seleccin
anotada de quince poemas de Domingo Rivero traducidos al
ingls nuestro deseo de salvaguardar al tiempo que expandir su
lrica; por ello, traspasando las barreras de su lengua materna
a travs de la traduccin de algunos de sus poemas esencia-
les, hemos llevado a cabo un delicado ejercicio traslativo, que
requera del rigor que a nuestro poeta caracterizaba. En este
sentido, se ha determinado la forma de los textos que acabaran
conformando la seleccin, que trata de seguir ampliando los
horizontes de la poesa de Domingo Rivero, al tiempo que nos
acerca al cada vez menos utpico objetivo de desvelar su fgura.
La lingua franca (de la que Domingo Rivero se sirvi para
aproximarse a la milenaria tarea de la traslacin y hacer suyo
el soneto de corte blico nacionalista Te Soldier), deba
rendirle justo tributo y homenaje, democratizando su obra, su
ideario y su impecable mtrica, volvindolos defnitivamente
universales y universalizndolo a l mismo. De ah que esta
obra tambin incluya un Apndice donde fgura un recorte de
prensa que recoge dicho poema del autor ingls Rupert Brooke
(1887-1915), adems de la versin al espaol que nuestro poe-
ta realiza de El Soldado, de la cual surge el enfoque de la tra-
duccin segn Domingo Rivero que hemos tratado de revelar
y de acatar en este trabajo. De hecho, la metodologa empleada
para traducir las quince composiciones que la preceden se basa
en las tcnicas empleadas por el poeta canario para la traduc-
cin de este soneto. A partir del anlisis de los mtodos em-
cation of rigour that characterized the mans own working
process. Tis fact determined not only the publishing of this
compilation of poems and translations, but also the form of
the texts that constitute this selection. Te aim was to bring
Domingo Riveros poetry to as large an audience as possi-
ble, and in the process reveal the character and motivations
of the writer to the world. Only through translation has
Domingo Riveros unique voice been released from its un-
deserved literary confnement and presented for posterity.
Analysing Domingo Riveros approach to his own
translation of Rupert Brookes Te Soldier provided us
with a roadmap to carry out a more systematic translation
of his own poetic output, especially in regard to meter and
structure. Hence the decision that this book also features an
Appendix where we have included a press cutting including
the original by Rupert Brooke (1887-1915), as well as Do-
mingo Riveros handwritten translation of this war poem.
As translators we strove to rigourously apply the
methods gleaned from Domingo Riveros own work on
Rupert Brookes poem, emulating what the author himself
would have been likely to do if translating his own work.
Terefore, translating Domingo Rivero accurately ended
up becoming a complex and delicate job, going far beyond
the purely linguistic or more strictly translative boundaries.
Indeed, it morphed into a metaliterary, historical and et-
nographical exercise. We were forced to dive into his bio-
graphy, honouring him while, at the same time, making an
expansive contribution to Canarian Literature.
24
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EL POETA THE POET
.
25
pleados por Domingo Rivero en su soberbia versin de Te
Soldier, hemos tratado de adoptarlos, con lo que la principal
funcin de nuestras estrategias traslativas se ha basado en pro-
curar emular lo que el mismo autor habra decidido de haber
contado con la oportunidad de traducir sus propios poemas.
As, traducir a Domingo Rivero a travs de Domingo Ri-
vero nos ha llevado a sumergirnos en sus circunstancias, en su
arraigo, en los paisajes del imaginario de su vida, que impreg-
nan los poemas de esta seleccin, tan representativos de sus
visiones. Para empezar, de su isla natal, La Isla, a la que tanto
debi aorar en su etapa de ultramar; de su casa en la calle
Torres, labrada en Piedra canaria; de su Silla de junto al
lecho; de los muebles de su cuarto; de su ofcina en la Audien-
cia Territorial, donde en un plazo de ocho aos empieza y con-
cluye el poema Viviendo; pasando por sus ms melanclicos
escenarios del pueblo de Gua, de su ermita perdida; o por los
viedos que ve desde la casa de campo familiar que visitara el
propio Unamuno, magistralmente plasmados en el soneto En
El Monte; sin olvidar sus intimsimos textos sobre s mismo,
de su dicotoma cuerpo-alma (como su soneto inmortal, Yo, a
mi cuerpo), ni otros versos que dedica a su hijo Juan, e incluso
a la propia Lady (aunque quiz ms bien a Lord) Byron; para
fnalizar con Mis pies, en el que Domingo Rivero, tal y como
lo hiciera el mismo Federico Garca Lorca, sella un personal
pacto con la muerte, la que habra de llamar a su puerta cinco
aos ms tarde, cuando fnalmente fallece sin reclamar ningn
tipo de gloria para su nombre, como declara en la majestuosa
fnale El Humilde Sendero, que cierra la compilacin.
Translating Domingo Rivero has required from us a
reading and a re-reading of his poetry, an immersion into
his circumstances and his roots, into those landscapes that
made up his lifes imagery and determined the structure of
this selection of poems. Gran Canaria, the home he mis-
sed so much, is brought to life in Te Isle. Te geogra-
phy and layout of his house in Torres Street whisper to us
from Canarian stone, Te chair and To the furniture of
my room, while the sonnet Living evokes the sight and
sounds of his ofce at the Territorial Court. Te hauntin-
gly melancholic vistas of Te lost chapel in Gua mirror
the silent seclusion of the vineyards, masterfully captured
in the sonnet In El Monte. In his immortal Me, to my
body, Domingo Rivero explores the very concept of self,
taking this idea to its nexus point as he lays bare the dicho-
tomy of body-soul relations in From my body to my soul.
Te people who enriched his life also feature heavily in this
work: his son Juan, his ageing barber maestro Pepe, even li-
terary predecessors such as Lord Byron speak to us from
his verses. Te selection fnishes with To my feet and Te
Humble Lane. Te former is a haunting rumination on old
age and death, while the latter is a paean to posthumous re-
membrance, foreshadowing in hope, the literary memorial
this very collection represents. Tis translation hopefully
provides Domingo Rivero with the audience and recogni-
tion he so undeservedly was denied in life.
Consequently, we have attempted to see his world, his
people and his life through the eyes of Domingo Rivero, Te
26
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EL POETA THE POET
.
27
Al margen de otorgar al autor su merecida considera-
cin, lidiar con cuestiones de forma versus contenido supone
un dilema para cualquier traductor, de manera que nos vimos
obligados a plantearnos la gran disyuntiva que histricamen-
te caracteriza a la tarea de traducir, aquella que confronta la
literalidad con la libertad traslativa. Fue de vital importancia
delimitar con extremo cuidado la relacin entre los originales
y nuestras traducciones, con lo que termin de confgurarse la
estrategia traslativa que se observa en las versiones fnales. Al
manifestarse como maestro de la medida y de la rima en sus
estrofas, con su particular idiolecto, nuestras versiones de los
poemas de Domingo Rivero en ingls tratan de conservar y
a veces hasta de romper ciertos patrones mtricos, as como
de hacer coincidir sus sonidos a fnal de verso, siempre que no
desvirtuasen su contenido, su efecto o su lenguaje.
Reconocemos, una vez declaradas nuestras intenciones,
que nunca sabremos cmo se habra traducido a s mismo el
propio Domingo Rivero, aunque resulta innegable que con su
traduccin hemos contribuido a que la labor literaria de este
poeta canario por fn se haga escuchar en otra lengua, en otras
latitudes, en otro pblico, al que animamos a perderse entre los
complejos mecanismos de la traduccin literaria y los versos
esenciales de nuestro autor en busca de su yo potico ms pro-
fundo, ahora traducido, en otro intento por perpetuar su fgura
y su legado lrico, que defnitivamente acerca cada vez ms a
Domingo Rivero, Te Poet, a la Literatura Universal.
Mara del Mar Santana Falcn
Poet, striving to capture the purest essence of the man and
his deepest existentialism through translation, although ever
mindful that reading Domingo Rivero in his native Spanish is
infnitely preferable.
Form and content present a difcult hurdle to overcome
for any translator. It is our hope that Domingo Riveros unique
idiolect, sense of rhythm and rhyme, and the personal susurra-
tions of his lyricism have been respected, without overtly dis-
torting the fow, efect and metric structures of his poetry. Te
results, in our opinion, are not incompatible with the authors
plan or his poetic project, not even with the translation princi-
ples, although these statements should still be agreed or refuted.
In conclusion, putting the eternal debate of translation
aside, we may fnish by stating that we have tried to keep the
essence of what we consider the core of Domingo Riveros
work, which now fnds its pure voice at last. We recognize, gi-
ven our intentions, that we may never fnd out how Domingo
Rivero would have translated these poems himself, although
we can hope that the literary work of this Canarian poet, Te
Poet, will fnally be appreciated in another language. Domingo
Rivero, at long last, has the audience he deserves. New readers
can fnally meander through the poetic landscapes he created,
losing themselves in the words of a man, Te Poet, who might
have been lost forever to shadow. Te building blocks of his
legacy have been laid. Domingo Rivero is no longer a poet
toiling in silence. His letters now belong to the world.
Mara del Mar Santana Falcn
QUINCE POEMAS
DE DOMINGO RIVERO
FIFTEEN POEMS
BY DOMINGO RIVERO
30
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EL POETA THE POET
.
31
1. LA ISLA (1925)
Isla que en el mar perdida
hogar y senda nos diste:
el encanto de ser triste
tiene en tu suelo la vida.
Cuando la planta rendida
desfallece en el camino,
la voz de nuestro destino
melanclica se escucha
entre el hondo mar que lucha
y el alto cielo divino.
NOTA
Dedicado a la isla de Gran Canaria, este romance est impregnado de
la nostalgia que todava deba embargar a Domingo Rivero al referirse
a su tierra natal ms de medio siglo despus de retornado de Europa.
Aun descartada la posibilidad de que fuese compuesto durante su etapa
en ultramar, el poema refeja la melancola y la aoranza insular del
autor, as como su profundo sentido isleo de pertenencia e identidad.
Ms aun, logra dar cuenta de un frme espritu de lucha que, a travs
de un nosotros potico, se hace extensivo a quienes, como el propio
Domingo Rivero, un poeta forzosamente alejado de su isla, puedan con-
siderarse vctimas de su tiempo y sus ideas, dotando a esta composicin
de un hondo signifcado metafrico que va mucho ms all de cualquier
concepto geogrfco.
1. THE ISLE (1925)
Isle, in the sea forlorn,
You gave us a path, a home:
Te magic of sadness
Life always has on your land.
When the spirit, exhausted,
Simply cannot carry on,
Tis voice of our destiny
Can be heard, melancholic,
Between the deep sea that fghts below
And the divine heavens above.
NOTE
Dedicated to the island of Gran Canaria, this poem is flled with the
nostalgia that continually overwhelmed Domingo Rivero when he re-
ferred to his native land more than ffty years after returning from
Europe. Even dismissing the possibility that it was composed during
his overseas period, the poem still refects the authors melancholy
towards his native shores, as well as his profound sense of identity
and belonging as an islander. Moreover, it reveals a frm fghting spi-
rit which, through a poetic us, is extended to all those who, like
Domingo Rivero himself, may have found themselves forcedly mo-
ved away from their isle, as victims of their time and their ideas. Tis
provides this composition with a metaphorical meaning beyond any
geographical concept.
32
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EL POETA THE POET
.
33
2. PIEDRA CANARIA (Octubre de 1921)
Oscura piedra; fbra duradera
de robustas entraas.
Piedra que tienes la tristeza austera
de las patrias montaas.
Yo hall, para sufrir, tu fortaleza,
que en mi propio dolor busqu mi abrigo,
y oscura del color de tu tristeza,
slo mi sombra camin conmigo.
T guarneces mi casa, que velar,
apurando mi pena silenciosa,
me siente de la noche en el misterio.
Como hoy en las paredes de mi hogar,
t mi tristeza guardars piadosa
en el nicho del viejo cementerio.
NOTA
Tras su regreso de Londres a la isla, el ltimo domicilio de Domingo
Rivero es la vivienda familiar del n 10 de la calle Torres, en Las Palmas
de Gran Canaria. Este poema lo dedica a la piedra con la que estuvo
decorado este edifcio antes de ser demolido y reconstruido en el ao
1969, donde actualmente se encuentra su Museo. Cabe destacar que el
noble ofcio de la cantera tambin est estrechamente vinculado con su
villa de Arucas natal, donde a comienzos del siglo XVI se establecieron
algunos pedreros que se dedicaban a la explotacin de la llamada piedra
azul, muy caracterstica de esta zona, dando origen a una industria arte-
sana de gran valor esttico que ha perdurado hasta nuestros das.
2. CANARIAN STONE (October 1921)
Dark stone; indestructible
Inner strength.
In your hands you hold the austere sorrow
Of my native mountains.
In you I found strength to bear my suferings,
As I searched for shelter from my pain,
And dark, like the colour, the colour of your sorrow,
Only my shadow, a companion, on my journey.
You have embellished my house, a house to cherish,
Relentlessly absorbing my own silent sadness,
You feel my touch in the mysterious night and in its darkness.
As you do today, within the walls of my dear home,
One day youll hold my sorrow
On my grave within your stone.
NOTE
After coming back from London to the island, Domingo Rivero made
his last home in the family house at n 10, Torres Street, Las Palmas de
Gran Canaria. Tis poem is dedicated to the stone used in the cons-
truction of this building, which was demolished and rebuilt in 1969 and
currently hosts his Museum. Te noblest profession of stone cutting
is also marginally connected with Domingo Riveros native village of
Arucas, where at the beginning of the 16th century stone cutters began
quarrying the so called blue stone, typical in this area. Tis marked the
beginning of an industry of great aesthetical value which has lasted until
the present day.
34
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EL POETA THE POET
.
35
3. LA SILLA
Silla de junto al lecho que la fgura adquieres
de mis cansados hombros al sostener mi traje:
sostn de mi fatiga parceme que eres;
t me hablas en silencio, yo entiendo tu lenguaje.
La lmpara agoniza y tu piedad escucha
entre la ropa an tibia el palpitar del pecho.
Yo pienso que maana ha de volver la lucha
cuando de ti recoja mi traje junto al lecho.
Y en la callada noche, humilde silla amiga,
mientras de ti pendiente parece mi fatiga,
siento crecer la fuerte virtud de la paciencia
mirando de la lmpara bajo la triste luz
tu sombra que se alarga, y evoca mi existencia,
y alcanza los serenos contornos de la Cruz.
NOTA
Cuando sali a la luz pblica, este poema recibi el ttulo Silla de junto
al lecho. No obstante, La Silla parece transmitir mejor la esencia ms
profunda de esta obra, en la que la fusin sinestsica entre el autor y el
objeto alcanza dimensiones tan austeras que superan cualquier plano
fsico, alcanzando contornos religiosos. El referirse a las cosas comunes,
personifcndolas, y dirigirse a ellas en segunda persona son recursos
recurrentes en la poesa de Domingo Rivero, un acento peculiar de su
poesa, segn Claudio de la Torre, que conecta con su ms puro Exis-
tencialismo y comienza a apuntar hacia su latente Modernismo.
3. THE CHAIR
Chair beside my bed, from which I hang my coat,
From my exhausted shoulders you fnd your form:
You are actually the one my burden has to bear;
You speak to me in your silence, I understand your language.
Te light is dying out and your compassion hears
Between the clothes still warm the beating of my breast.
And I think that tomorrow my fght will continue
When I lift my clothes from you, patient by my bed.
And in the night still, oh humble chair, my friend,
When fatigues of the day on you fnd rest,
I feel the strongest virtue of patience growing there
And when I see your shadow under the lamps sad light,
Stretching and evoking the confrmation of my life
I see how it shapes the very contours of the Cross.
NOTE
When it frst came to light, this poem was titled Chair beside the bed.
However, Te Chair seems to be more in keeping with the deepest es-
sence of this piece. Here, the synesthesian and austere fusion between
the author and the object goes beyond any physical realms, reaching reli-
gious dimensions. Referring to common things using personifcation and
addressing objects in the second person are recurrent tools in Domingo
Riveros poetry, a peculiar accent in his poetry, says Claudio de la To-
rre, which connects with his purest Existentialism and hints at his latent
Modernism.
36
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EL POETA THE POET
.
37
4. A LOS MUEBLES DE MI CUARTO
Humildes muebles mos, gastados por el uso,
que a fuerza de servirme ya conocis mi mano;
su sello mi existencia sobre vosotros puso,
y acaso de dejaros el da est cercano.
Sois toscos como ruda ha sido mi pobreza;
a nadie serviris como me habis servido,
y al veros casi intiles aumenta mi tristeza
pensar en que os aguarda el polvo y el olvido.
Saldris, cuando yo muera, del sitio en que estis puestos
y quedar en silencio nuestra estancia vaca;
all donde os coloquen habris de ser molestos:
tal vez ms que la muerte la indiferencia es fra.
En tiempos ya lejanos, que pesan en mis hombros,
cuando el hogar paterno se convirti en escombros,
con mi trabajo os fui comprando ao tras ao
como pastor que forma paciente su rebao.
Y al cabo del camino de mi existencia triste
sois todo lo que tengo, humildes cosas viejas;
y t, pobre silln, que el ms costoso fuiste,
pareces el mastn que guarda las ovejas.
Cuando a buscarme llegue, con paso recatado,
la muerte, como un lobo dispersar el ganado.
Qu haris, pobres ovejas, sin el viejo pastor?
Donde la suerte os lleve, os faltar mi amor.
4. TO THE FURNITURE OF MY ROOM
Humble furniture of mine, so worn by wear and tear,
After years of service, familiar with my touch;
On you the very marks of my existence have been etched,
Perhaps our time together is drawing to a close.
You are as unyielding as was my poverty;
And will serve no other as you have served me,
To see you becoming useless flls me with sadness
As dust and oblivion await you.
When I die, you will leave this room
Leaving emptiness and silence in your wake;
Wherever you are placed, only a nuisance will you be:
Perhaps indiference is colder than death.
In times long passed, which weigh upon my shoulders,
When the home of my childhood lay in ruins,
I collected you, the fruit of my labour,
Like a shepherd patiently herding his fock.
And now at the end of lifes journey
You are all that I have, my faithful old things;
And you, my poor precious armchair, you stand
Like a mastif guarding its sheep.
When, with stealthy footsteps, death comes to fnd me,
Like a wolf as it scatters the fock.
What will you do, poor sheep, without your aged shepherd?
Wherever luck may take you, you will always miss my love.
38
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EL POETA THE POET
.
39
Y t, viejo silln, de mi tristeza amigo,
que crujes al sentarme, quejndote conmigo,
si a m gruirme sueles sabiendo que te quiero,
qu hars cuando al fn dejes de ser mi compaero?
Desvencijado y solo, acabar tu historia
en un lugar sombro de la que fue mi casa.
Quiz porque no muera del todo mi memoria
un clavo tuyo tire del traje del que pasa.
NOTA
En este poema, Domingo Rivero se dirige a sus enseres personales, hacin-
donos ver cmo valora sus pertenencias, muchas de las cuales no llegaron a
salir del sitio donde estaban puestas para acabar en un lugar sombro del que
fue su hogar, al contrario de lo que el autor haba previsto, sino que actual-
mente se cuentan entre los fondos de su Museo. Con el objetivo de reforzar
la personifcacin de la que el poeta se vale a lo largo de esta composicin,
obsrvese el uso de los pronombres personal y relativo you y who en la
traduccin al ingls, as como nuestra conservacin de la metfora del pas-
tor, el rebao y el mastn, el lobo, la vida y la muerte. El ltimo verso incor-
pora la imagen del clavo del sof que tira de la ropa del que pasa, manifes-
tando extraordinariamente el deseo del autor de que su memoria perdure.
And you, my old armchair, my friend in my sadness,
Who groaning as I sit, complaining in sympathy,
If you can moan knowing that I love you,
What will you do when you are no longer with me?
Aging and alone, your time will be over
In the shadows of what once was my home.
As your nails tear the clothes of the hapless
Perhaps my memory will fnd a way to live on.
NOTE
In this poem, Domingo Rivero is referring to his personal possessions,
revealing how he values his belongings, many of which did not leave
their room or stayed in the shadows of what once was his home. Con-
trary to what the author had foreseen, they are currently on display in
his Museum collection. In order to reinforce the personifcation that
the poet uses in this piece, observe the use of the personal and the re-
lative pronouns you and who in the translation into English. Note
too, the metaphor of the shepherd, the fock and the mastif, the wolf,
life and death. Te last line carries the image of the armchairs nails
tearing a passerbys clothes, demonstrating the authors wish that his
memory live on.
40
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EL POETA THE POET
.
41
5. VIVIENDO (1916-1924)
Mi ofcina da al mar. Desde la silla
donde hace treinta aos que trabajo,
las olas siento en la cercana orilla
de las ventanas resonar debajo.
Y mientras se deshacen en espuma,
en la playa al batir, constantemente,
yo en mi triste labor muevo la pluma
y crecen las arrugas en mi frente.
A veces sobre el mar pasa una nave
que se pierde a lo lejos como un ave
que empuja el viento del destino esquivo
Son emigrantes. Volvern? Quin sabe!
Cuando su lucha por la vida acabe,
yo trabajando seguir si vivo.
NOTA
Esta composicin, que el autor empez a escribir en 1916, fue retomada
y concluida por Domingo Rivero ocho aos ms tarde. En el original,
que podemos encontrar en el Museo, es posible observar la primera parte
redactada con mquina de escribir, exactamente las dos primeras estrofas,
las cuales concluyen con la inscripcin mecanografada del ao. Al volver
a este poema casi una dcada despus, Domingo Rivero aade a mano los
dos tercetos fnales que lo convierten en un soneto, al igual que manuscri-
be la fecha de 1924. Podemos presumir que est ambientado en la ofcina
donde desempe el cargo de Secretario de Gobierno de la Audiencia
Territorial, y que estos ltimos versos manuscritos representan una suerte
de despedida y colofn fnal para su carrera como profesional del derecho,
que efectivamente fnaliza el 26 de julio de 1924.
5. LIVING (1916-1924)
My ofce faces the sea. And from the chair
Where I have worked some thirty years,
Te waves through my window I feel
As they beat on the sands, so close.
And as the waves dissolve into foam,
Constantly crashing so close onto the seashore,
I bear with this pen my labour drear
And on my brow the signs of age appear.
Some ship across the sea sails now and then
And is lost in the distance like a bird
Pushed by the winds of destiny, to the unknown...
Who knows if they will return! Tey are emigrants.
And when their fght for life comes to an end,
If I am still alive, I shall be working here.
NOTE
Tis composition, which the author started writing in 1916 and was per-
haps at the time considered by him to be fnished, was resumed and com-
pleted by Domingo Rivero eight years later. In the original, which can be
found in the Museum, it can be seen that the frst part was written on a
typing machine with the typed inscription of the year. When he came back
to this poem nearly a decade later, Domingo Rivero added the six fnal lines
that make it into a handwritten sonnet, dated 1924. We can assume that
the poem is set in the ofce where he worked as Government Secretary of
the Territorial Court, and that these last few handwritten lines represent
some sort of farewell and fnal culmination for his career as a law professio-
nal, which actually came to an end on 26
th
July 1924.
42
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EL POETA THE POET
.
43
6. DE LA ERMITA PERDIDA (1910)
De la ermita perdida
en la falda del monte solitario,
imagen de mi vida
entre ruinas se eleva el campanario.
Mi vida fracas: desvanecidos
contempl mis anhelos; y mis hombros
siento que ya vacilan doloridos
de sostener escombros.
Pero en mi pecho se conserva sana,
como en mi fuerte juventud lejana,
la recndita fbra
donde cual entre ruinas la campana,
el ideal an vibra.
NOTA
Este poema pudo haber sido inspirado por una antigua ermita del pue-
blo de Gua, al norte de Gran Canaria. Manuel Gonzlez Sosa, en su
obra Enfoques laterales (p.13), afrma que Domingo Rivero siempre gus-
t de pasar algn tiempo durante sus vacaciones en una casa familiar
que se encontraba en dicho pueblo hasta 1881, cuando se estableci
defnitivamente en Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
6. THE LOST CHAPEL (1910)
On the slopes of the lonely mount
Amongst the ruins of the lost chapel,
Image of my life
Te bell in its belfry is standing out.
My life died away: and I could see
My longings vanish; and in their pain
I feel my shoulders bowing whilst
I carry the remains.
But in my breast I keep, very deep within,
As with the strength of my distant youth,
Te very fbre of my being, wherein
Te ideal, my ideal, still resounds,
Like the bell in its belfry amongst the ruins.
NOTE
Tis poem may have been inspired by an old chapel in the town of Gua,
in the north of Gran Canaria. Manuel Gonzlez Sosa, in his book Enfo-
ques laterales (p.13), says that Domingo Rivero used to spend his holiday
time at a family house located in this village until 1881, when he fnally
settled in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
44
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EL POETA THE POET
.
45
7. EN EL MONTE (1924)
A la memoria de Flix
Sobre estos campos que abras el aliento
del volcn, ha pasado la serena
paz de los siglos que el ambiente llena;
y donde el fuego se ensa violento,
tiende la vid las varas del sarmiento
y cra el fruto de la piel morena
y de sus verdes hojas, en la arena
pone la sombra que estremece el viento.
Y mientras pienso que en el pecho humano
as fota la sombra bienhechora
y crece el fruto del dolor lejano,
de mi vejez en la apacible calma
evoco, en el silencio de esta hora,
tristezas que se mecen en el alma.
NOTA
Dedicado a Flix Torres Jaque, el marido de su hermana Mara Teresa, este
poema fue inspirado por las vistas que Domingo Rivero poda contem-
plar desde la casa familiar de Los Hoyos. All lo visit en 1910 Miguel de
Unamuno. A partir del siglo XVII, El Monte fue una zona vitivincola de
marcado carcter britnico, que modifc por completo su fsonoma, aun-
que conserva reminiscencias de la poca. Hoy en da, stas se hacen patentes
en muchas residencias de tipo colonial donde se estableci una burguesa
comercial por intereses econmicos relacionados con el cultivo de la vid y la
exportacin de caldos canarios a Inglaterra. Los viedos que se integran con
el entorno rural volcnico lo convierten en un lugar singular en el que Do-
mingo Rivero hunde sus races haciendo del imaginario colectivo un sm-
bolo de su identidad, que no quiere dejar de lado su ascendencia campesina.
7. IN EL MONTE (1924)
In memory of Flix
Over these felds, parched by the blast
Of the volcano, has passed
Te calm peace of the centuries, which flls the air;
And where fre burned, gloating with wrath,
Te twisted twigs of vineyards spread
Bearing the dark-skinned fruit
And the green leaves, on the sand,
Cast their trembling shadow in the wind.
And while I ponder that in the human heart
So foats the same benign shadow
And grows the fruit of distant pain,
In the peaceful calm of my old age
I evoke, in the silence of this hour,
Melancholic echoes that linger in the soul.
NOTE
Dedicated to Flix Torres Jaque, the husband of his sister Mara Teresa, this
poem was inspired by the views that Domingo Rivero could contemplate
from the family house in Los Hoyos. Miguel de Unamuno visited him
there in 1910. As from the 17th century, El Monte attracted people from
England whose legacy can still be found. Many residential colonial hou-
ses remain where the families of English tradesmen established themselves
at this time. Tey represented a commercial middle class which came to
the island because of their economical interests related to vineyards and
the exporting of Canarian wines to England. Teir infuence regarding the
landscape, where vineyards are fully integrated with the rural volcanic set-
ting, make up a singular environment where Domingo Rivero put his roots
down. Here he managed to turn the collective imaginary into a symbol of
his identity, not willing to dismiss his agricultural background.
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EL POETA THE POET
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47
8. YO, A MI CUERPO
Por qu no te he de amar, cuerpo en que vivo?
Por qu con humildad no he de quererte,
si en ti fui nio, y joven, y en ti arribo,
viejo, a las tristes playas de la muerte?
Tu pecho ha sollozado compasivo
por m, en los rudos golpes de mi suerte;
ha jadeado con mi sed, y altivo
con mi ambicin lati cuando era fuerte.
Y hoy te rindes al fn, pobre materia,
extenuada de angustia y de miseria.
Por qu no te he de amar? Qu ser el da
que t dejes de ser? Profundo arcano!
Slo s que en tus hombros hice ma
mi cruz, mi parte en el dolor humano.
NOTA
Esta grandiosa composicin, considerada una de las cimas lricas de la
poesa castellana, la sntesis de la flosofa existencialista de Domingo
Rivero, basta para considerarlo como poeta de primera magnitud, tal
como indica Oswaldo Guerra Snchez en su reconocida Introduccin
a la Literatura Canaria, disponible en http://www.gobiernodecanarias.
org/educacion/culturacanaria/litera/literatura.htm. Viene a ser el sone-
to que mayor celebridad ha proporcionado a nuestro autor, catapultn-
dolo como maestro de la mtrica, hasta el punto de merecer el elogio
del propio Dmaso Alonso. Resulta anecdtico que fuese publicado por
primera vez en el mes de julio de 1922 por la revista madrilea La Plu-
ma sin contar con el consentimiento del poeta.
8. ME, TO MY BODY
And why shouldnt I love you, oh body, in which
I live? Why shouldnt I love you humbly,
If I were a child in you, then a young man, and soon
As an elder arriving at the sad shores of death?
Your breast did sob for me, compassionate,
Under the harsh relentless blows of circumstance;
It panted with my thirst, and in
Te strength of my ambition it also boasted proudly.
And now at last you yield, oh mortal shell,
Exhausted by misery and agony.
Why should I not love you? What shall I be
Te day you are no more? Oh deep arcanum!
I only know that on your shoulders, the
Cross I had to bear, I made it mine, my part in human pain.
NOTE
Tis grand composition, considered a lyrical masterpiece of Spanish
poetry, is the synthesis of Domingo Riveros existentialist philosophy.
It is enough to consider him as a poet of the frst magnitude, says
Oswaldo Guerra Snchez in his Introduccin a la Literatura Canaria,
available at http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/educacion/culturaca-
naria/litera/literatura.htm. Tis sonnet gained our poet his greatest re-
nown, raising him as a master of meter, to the point where he merited
the praise of Dmaso Alonso. As an anecdote, it was frst published
in July 1922 by the Madrid-based magazine La Pluma without the
consent of the poet.
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EL POETA THE POET
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49
9. DICE EL CUERPO AL ALMA (Mayo, 1921)
Antes de yo ser, t eras;
de lo eterno a m bajaste,
y en mi pobre barro amaste
las cosas perecederas.
Y logr que ma fueras
en esta crcel sombra.
Al llegar mi ltimo da,
a tu origen volvers
y eternamente sers,
pero ya no sers ma.
NOTA
El desdoblamiento y el dilogo permanente entre cuerpo y alma,
desde la ptica de Domingo Rivero, simboliza su conficto interno
entre el aqu y ahora y el ms all. Dicha dicotoma alcanza l-
mites inesperados en esta composicin, dotndola de gran lirismo
y carcter existencialista, con un marcado componente espiritual,
espacio comn entre el poeta y Miguel de Unamuno, de quien fue
discpulo y amigo.
9. FROM MY BODY TO MY SOUL (May, 1921)
Before I came to be, you existed;
And from the reaches of eternity you came,
To love within my poor body
Transient things.
You became mine
Locked in these shadowy confnes.
When my last day ends,
To the beginning you will return
And be everlasting still,
But no longer mine.
NOTE
Te unfolding and the continual dialogue between body and soul, from
Domingo Riveros perspective, symbolizes his internal confict between
the here and now and the hereafter. Tis dichotomy reaches unex-
pected limits in this composition. It stands out because of its lyrism
and marked existencialism, including a beautiful spiritual component.
Tese are points in common between Domingo Rivero and Miguel de
Unamuno, of whom he was a disciple and a friend.
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EL POETA THE POET
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51
10. A MI HIJO
Cuando t me amortajes, y el reposo
permita que en mi frente, misterioso,
brille el sello divino;
dame el ltimo beso, arrodillado,
en los pies que quizs haya manchado
el polvo del camino.
NOTA
Del matrimonio de Domingo Rivero con Mara de las Nieves del Cas-
tillo Olivares y Fierro nacern siete hijos: Fernando, Dolores, Juan, Nie-
ves, Mara del Pino, Mara Teresa y Fernando. En este poema, Domingo
Rivero se diriga al tercero, a modo de despedida, con la creencia de que
los ciclos vitales naturales determinaran que su muerte acaeciera antes
que la de su hijo Juan. Ya en 1887, Domingo Rivero haba perdido a su
primognito, Fernando, cuando ste solo contaba diecisiete meses de
vida, lo que puede explicar su visin de la muerte as como la suerte de
predileccin que sinti por su hijo varn de ms edad. Desafortunada-
mente, Juan Rivero del Castillo Olivares, quien no solo llevara su nom-
bre sino adems se haba convertido en el nieto favorito de su abuelo
paterno, Juan Rivero Bolaos, y de su mujer, Rafaela Mara de San Flix
Gonzlez Castellano, falleci antes que su padre, el 24 de junio de 1928.
10. TO MY SON
When you wrap me in my shroud,
When eternal rest allows the fnal blessing
To shine, mysterious, on my forehead;
Kiss me, kneeling, for the last time,
On my feet, that may be marked
With dust from the road.
NOTE
Seven children were born from the marriage between Domingo Rivero
and Mara de las Nieves del Castillo Olivares y Fierro: Fernando, Do-
lores, Juan, Nieves, Mara del Pino, Mara Teresa and Fernando. In this
poem, Domingo Rivero is addressing his third child, in a note of fa-
rewell. Based on the accepted order of life, he assumed that he would die
before his son Juan. Back in 1887, Domingo Rivero had lost his frst-
born son, Fernando, when he was only seventeen months old, which
may explain the poet's vision of death as well as the feelings that he had
for Juan, the child who became his eldest. Tis son, who not only bore
his name, was also the favourite of his paternal grandfather, Juan Rivero
Bolaos, and his wife, Rafaela Mara de San Flix Gonzlez Castellano.
Unluckily, Juan Rivero del Castillo Olivares died before his father, on
24
th
June 1928.
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EL POETA THE POET
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53
11. A JUAN
I
En el lecho pareces ms que muerto dormido:
en tu largo martirio despus de sufrir tanto,
premiar tu fortaleza al fn Dios ha querido
con una muerte dulce el da de tu santo.
El latir de tu pecho busca ansioso el odo,
y nuestros pobres ojos, anegados en llanto,
al trocarse en sosiego tu doliente quejido
y cesar tu agona, se dilatan de espanto.
Era de nuestro hogar la alegra ms pura
la festa de este da, y a mitad de tu vida
es hoy cuando en la tierra termina tu camino!
En esto slo piensa nuestra humana amargura
Mientras sobre tu frente, por el dolor ungida,
y sobre nuestra angustia, brilla el sello divino.
II
Esta primera noche, Juan, que tu cuerpo pasa
dentro del nicho donde mis padres te hacen hueco,
en torno al que vaco dejaste en nuestra casa
de tu ltimo suspiro nos acompaa el eco.
Me aguardaban a m, pero eres t el que llegas
ms plido tal vez que tu blanco sudario;
y al ver tu rostro herido, con sus pupilas ciegas,
sus huesos se estremecen de tu horrible calvario.
Su nieto preferido fuiste desde pequeo
y verte hollar un da la cumbre era su sueo:
por ti sentan orgullo y acaso vanidad.
11. TO JUAN
I
You look asleep upon your deathbed:
Endless martyrdom now ceased,
Gods reward for your forbearance
Without pain in death you sleep.
Anxious ears to catch a heartbeat,
Endless tears, to wash our pain,
Still at last your breath at peace
Your agony ceased, our eyes ablaze.
You were the pure happiness in our home
Te celebration of each day, but in the prime of life
Your time on earth did fade away!
Only on this can our bitterness dwell,
Whilst your brow is anointed by pain,
Lighting our anguish, the last blessing glows in your name.
II
Tis frst night, dear Juan, your body will spend
In the tomb where my parents now lie,
Around which is the emptiness left in our place
From your last breath the echo survives.
Tey were waiting for me, but you went before
Even paler in death than your shroud;
When they see your hurt face, sightless and grey,
Trembling theyll mourn your calvary way.
Since birth your grandparents favourite,
Who dreamed that youd conquer great heights:
For you they felt pride, even vanity.
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EL POETA THE POET
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55
Te ven llegar vencido, pero el sepulcro ensea
que vista desde el cielo la grandeza es pequea
y grande la humildad.
III
Y eso eras t: un humilde, un hombre que en la tierra
labr la cruz del suyo y no caus un dolor,
y al sentir que la puerta de su tumba se cierra,
ni un enemigo deja tras ella, ni un rencor.
Para tu padre en eso est toda tu gloria:
la gloria del humilde, la gloria de ser bueno;
por eso mis sollozos bendicen tu memoria
y t este mundo dejas con nimo sereno.
Has muerto y en tu mano no apoyo ya la ma,
y en vano hacia tu hombro mi triste frente inclino;
pero en la oscura noche de mi vejez sombra
tu recuerdo ser la luz de mi camino.
Tu humildad me arrodilla ante el poder divino
cuyo sello, en tu frente, coron tu agona.
NOTA
Como triste consecuencia de la prdida de su hijo, aunque se haba de-
dicado desde 1926 a prepararla, tras la muerte de Juan en 1928 Domin-
go Rivero desiste del proyecto de publicar una antologa personal de su
poesa. Aunque inicialmente se vuelca en dicha labor, animado por el
propio Juan, la progresiva e irreversible enfermedad que ste desarrolla
llevar a Domingo Rivero a dejar de lado su gran propsito, que nunca
llega a concluir ya que fallece un ao y tres meses ms tarde que su hijo
predilecto en su domicilio capitalino de la calle Torres.
Now they see you vanquished, but the grave will teach
Tat from heaven, greatness is humbled
And humility made great.
III
On earth you were a humble man
Sharing no pain with others as you bore your cross
Feel sure as the doors of your tomb are closing that
No enemy, nor rancour, are left behind.
For your father this is your glory:
Te glory of humility and justice;
And my tears your dear memory do bless
As you bid farewell to this earth, your spirit rests.
You are gone and beyond my touch,
As in vain I reach for your soul;
But in the dark night of my fading life
Te memory of you will light my way.
Your humility brings me to my knees
As you receive the fnal blessing, which crowns your pain.
NOTE
As a sad consequence of his sons death in 1928, although he had been
working on it since 1926, Domingo Rivero abandoned the project of
publishing a complete anthology of his works. He tragically died one
year and three months after his favourite son in his family home in
Torres Street.
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EL POETA THE POET
.
57
12. A MI VIEJO BARBERO (1920)
Cuando en el boscaje de mis crespas canas
ves una hebra oscura, buen viejo, te alegras,
pensando que antao sus blancas hermanas
mentira parece! tambin fueron negras.
A manos ms giles, la tuya prefero
que en das felices me afeitaba el bozo;
y a charla moderna, tu hablar de barbero
antiguo que evoca mis tiempos de mozo.
Mi vida conocen tus viejas tijeras
que entre mis cabellos hace tantos aos!
cuando an eran negros, cortaban quimeras,
y hoy entre mis canas cortan desengaos.
NOTA
La idea de dedicar este poema a su barbero surge del plan vital del autor
de acabar y recopilar su obra, al que le animaba su hijo Juan. Como par-
te de su antologa personal, aunque el proyecto se frustrase, Domingo
Rivero elabor una lista de personas decisivas de su vida, a las que no
poda dejar de dedicar unas palabras cordiales, tal vez el ttulo previsto
por el poeta para tal empresa. Sorprende que entre los nombres a los que
dedicara sus personales homenajes lricos se encontraran los de persona-
lidades de la talla de Fermn Salvochea, Toms Morales, Don Quijote,
o el mismo Miguel de Unamuno, junto con personajes tan comunes y
cotidianos como este hombre, Jos Daz Henrquez, maestro Pepe, su
viejo barbero.
12. MY OLD BARBER (1920)
When into the forest of my spoiled grey hairs
You fnd a dark one, old man, you are glad,
Remembering when once all their grey brothers were too
Its not a lie! they were also as dark.
Better than new hands, I prefer yours, though not as strong,
Tey shaved my moustache, then weak and young;
As to the modern chat, the old-fashioned talk of yours
I do prefer, as it reminds me of times when I was young.
Your old scissors know the secrets of my life,
So very long ago! in this dark hair of mine,
Tey used to shape my dreams, but now Im getting old,
Now they can only cut misfortunes from my soul.
NOTE
Te idea of dedicating this poem to his barber arose from the authors
initial plan of completing and compiling his lifes work, encouraged by
his son Juan. As part of his personal anthology, although the project
grew frustrated, Domingo Rivero made a list of key people in his life,
to whom he needed to dedicate some kind words, maybe the title
Domingo Rivero chose for this work. It is surprising that amongst the
names to which he dedicated his personal lyrical homages we can fnd
personalities such as Fermn Salvoechea, Toms Morales, Don Quixo-
te, or Miguel de Unamuno, together with such ordinary and everyday
people like this man, maestro Pepe, his old barber.
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EL POETA THE POET
.
59
13. A LADY BYRON
Arrjase el torrente de la altura,
abre su cauce por la roca hendida,
y cuanto ms ahonda ms olvida
que el surco espera tras la orilla dura.
No adivina que el agua en la llanura,
mermando entre la tierra humedecida,
serena siente que, al morir, la vida
brota de su fecunda sepultura.
Torrente el alma fue de aquel coloso
de s solo poeta y compaero,
y ya alcanza a su aliento poderoso
el fallo de tu espritu severo:
falt a su pecho para ser esposo
lo que a su genio para ser Homero.
NOTA
La inclusin de este poema en la presente seleccin responde al hecho
de que se trata de una composicin verdaderamente enigmtica, que
ha desencadenado muy variadas preguntas en quienes han osado inter-
pretarla y, desde luego, traducirla. De esta manera, queda aqu planteado
un nuevo reto para los estudios literarios y los de traduccin. Se trata de
un poema en el que Domingo Rivero parece dirigirse a la mujer del poe-
ta ingls considerado como uno de los escritores ms representativos del
Romanticismo, Lord Byron, a cuya lectura y estudio, presumimos, pudo
dedicarse como estudiante en el University College London. Cabe des-
tacar igualmente que una de sus principales afciones durante su etapa
londinense era acudir a las sesiones de pera del Covent Garden.
13. FOR LADY BYRON
Te torrent from the heights is falling,
Finding its way through the cracked stone,
Te deeper it fows, the more easily it ignores
Te waiting furrow beyond the harsh shore.
No, it cannot guess nor sense,
Tat its water on the endless plain,
Seeping into the sodden land,
Brings life from its fertile grave.
Overfowing soul of a great man
His own muse and companion,
And now the judgement of your harsh spirit
Has reached his once powerful breath:
He lacked both the heart to be a husband
And the genius to be Homeric.
NOTE
Including this poem in this selection was due to the fact that it is a
truly enigmatic composition, which has triggered various questions
in those who have tried to interpret and, of course, to translate it.
Hence, we present a new challenge for both Literary and Translation
Studies. It is a poem where Domingo Rivero apparently addresses
the wife of an English poet who has been considered one of the most
representative authors from the Romantic age, Lord Byron. We pre-
sume that Domingo Rivero may have dedicated himself to the study
of Byrons work at University College London. Similarly, when he
lived in England, one of his biggest passions was to attend the Opera
Sessions at Covent Garden.
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EL POETA THE POET
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61
14. MIS PIES (8 de septiembre de 1924)
Pies que alzbais ayer cuando yo era
ferviente soador polvo que arda,
de mi sol juvenil bajo la hoguera,
como una nube al despuntar el da,
y tal vez misteriosa cabellera
en la senda a lo lejos pareca...
Aquel amanecer de la quimera
es noche triste en mi vejez sombra!
Y hoy, pobres pies cansados, que a mi puerta
la muerte ya con impaciencia llama,
y caminis hacia la tumba abierta,
de la senda de ayer, ahora desierta,
polvo arrastris con que mullir la cama
en que no se despierta.
NOTA
Domingo Rivero muere un 8 de septiembre, dando lugar a una acia-
ga coincidencia literaria que cabe recoger aqu. Es sabido que Federico
Garca Lorca, poeta y dramaturgo espaol, nacido en 1898 y fusilado en
1936, escribe su tragedia As que pasen cinco aos en 1931, con lo que sella
una suerte de mal presagio, de pacto con la muerte, ya que efectivamente,
como El Joven, protagonista de su obra de teatro, fallece cinco aos ms
tarde. Domingo Rivero morira exactamente cinco aos despus de escri-
bir este poema, en el que tambin alude al presentimiento de la muerte, la
cual acabara llamando a su puerta en la misma fecha del ao 1929.
14. MY FEET (8
th
September 1924)
Feet, which used to raise the burning dust,
When I was a fervent dreamer
Under the fre of my youthful sun,
You lit the dust like a cloud when daybreak is near,
And maybe in the far distance it resembled
A mysterious trail...
But that birth of my dreams
Has become the sad night in my old-age!
And now, poor tired feet, when at my door
Death is already impatiently calling me,
You tread the road that leads up to the waiting tomb,
Along the path of yesterday, which is now so deserted,
You drag the dust that fnally will soften the bed
From which no one can ever, ever awake.
NOTE
Domingo Rivero died on an 8
th
September, creating a sad literary coin-
cidence which may be noticed here. It is widely known that Federico
Garca Lorca, Spanish poet and playwright, born in 1898 and executed
by fring squad in 1936, wrote his tragedy As pasen cinco aos (Tere may
pass fve more years) in 1931. Lorca sealed his fate here, making a conve-
nant with death, as he actually died (like the hero of his play) fve years
later. Domingo Rivero died exactly fve years after he wrote this poem,
where he also alludes to the premonition of death, which would end up
calling at his door on the same date in 1929.
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EL POETA THE POET
.
63
15. EL HUMILDE SENDERO (6 de abril de 1920)
Nunca aspir a la gloria ni me atrajo
de la fama el estruendo,
ni so que mi nombre
pueda en su libro recoger el tiempo.
De esa ambicin mi corazn no sabe...
Pero cuando contemplo,
por la noche, del campo en el retiro,
el humilde sendero
que hollaron pobres pies que ya descansan,
borrado en parte, que blanquea a trechos,
a la luz de la luna, y que condujo
a un apartado hogar, ahora desierto,
mi terrena raz se reverdece
y acaso a veces pienso
con humana emocin: as quisiera
que en la tierra quedara mi recuerdo.
NOTA
Este poema, en el que el autor acude al clsico tema de la fama no sin
ciertos ecos manriqueos, sirve de perfecta fnale para nuestra seleccin
de poemas, en la que el autor muestra su humilde visin ante la gloria
y la continuidad de su fgura, rechazando todo tipo de opulencia que
su consagracin como autor literario pueda depararle, lo que hace de
Domingo Rivero, Te Poet, un poeta puro.
15. THE HUMBLE LANE (6
th
April 1920)
I never asked for glory, I was never attracted
By the clamours of fame,
Never ever dreamed that time and its records
One day would end up reporting my name.
My heart of that ambition has never been aware...
But when I contemplate
At night, in the lonely felds,
Te humble lane
Trodden by poor feet, that already rest,
Partly empty and partly erased,
Under the moonlight, which led
To a home, which is empty today,
My earthy roots revive
And sometimes I even think
With human emotion: I wish
Tat memories of my life forever could survive.
NOTE
Tis poem, in which the author is alluding to the classical discussion
of fame, with some manriquean echoes, is the perfect fnale for our
selection of poems. Te author shows his humble vision against his
potential glory, rejecting any accolades that his recognition as a li-
terary author may bring to him, which makes Domingo Rivero, Te
Poet, a pure poet.
APNDICE APPENDIX
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EL POETA THE POET
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68
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EL POETA THE POET
.
69
EL SOLDADO, BROOKE Y RIVERO
Resulta muy probable que Domingo Rivero utilizara el do-
cumento que recogemos en la pgina anterior un obituario
frmado por William Purvis un ao despus de la muerte
de Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) para realizar su traduccin
del poema blico Te Soldier, el cual, como se puede ob-
servar, se encuentra destacado en tinta azul en el recorte de
prensa original, que se conserva entre los fondos del Museo
Poeta Domingo Rivero. Es sabido que Domingo Rivero se-
gua de cerca la escena literaria inglesa a travs de peridicos
como Te Guardian o Te Times, que poda obtener a travs
de los barcos que arribaban desde Inglaterra al emergente
Puerto de La Luz y de Las Palmas. Durante la construccin
del Puerto (1883-1903), el poeta accedi a contribuir con
sus conocimientos de ingls a la labor del ingeniero Juan de
Len y Castillo, uno de los principales impulsores de este
proyecto, quien conoca del talento de Domingo Rivero para
la traduccin.
Tras la lectura del obituario donde fgura el poema, en el
que William Purvis se refere a la magnfca simplicidad de
expresin que caracteriza a Rupert Brooke, nos atrevemos
a afrmar que no solo este rasgo, sino adems el sentimiento
de divisin entre lo que William Purvis denomina el hogar
espiritual Alemania para el poeta ingls, Inglaterra para el
canario y el suelo santo la tierra natal, se funden para
THE SOLDIER, BROOKE & RIVERO
It is very likely that Domingo Rivero was inspired by
the document included on the previous page which is
an obituary written by William Purvis one year after the
death of Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) for his translation
of the war poem Te Soldier, which is marked with blue
ink in the original cut press which is currently held by
the institution Museo Poeta Domingo Rivero. We know
that Domingo Rivero closely followed the English lite-
rary scene through newspapers like The Guardian and
The Times, which he got from the ships that arrived from
England to periodically dock at the growing Puerto de La
Luz y de Las Palmas. During the construction of this port
(1883-1903), the poet utilised his knowledge of English
to assist the work of the engineer Juan de Len y Castillo,
one of the most important driving forces of this project,
who knew Domingo Riveros talent for translation.
After reading the document, it is clear that Domin-
go Rivero shares what William Purvis refers to as the
magnifcient simplicity of expression that marked Ru-
pert Brookes style. Tey also share the feeling of division
between what William Purvis calls the spiritual home
(Germany for the English poet, England for the Cana-
rian) and a sense of their native land being holy ground.
Domingo Rivero only had to write the sonnet Me, to my
70
.
EL POETA THE POET
.
71
siempre en el trinomio El Soldado, Brooke y Rivero. Ade-
ms, de la misma manera que a Domingo Rivero le bast con
componer el soneto Yo, a mi cuerpo para consagrarse como
maestro de la lrica castellana, si Brooke solo hubiese escrito
sus cinco sonetos de 1914, incluido su maravilloso poema
Te Soldier, segn sugiere William Purvis, su fama ha-
bra quedado asegurada para siempre en Inglaterra. En este
soneto inmortal, de acuerdo con este crtico, queda divi-
nizado el sentimiento de un hombre imaginativo dispuesto
a darlo todo por su nacin. Al igual que Brooke, Rivero no
solo senta un apego especial hacia Inglaterra (su otra isla),
sino adems ya haba sentido que su fn estaba cerca. Lle-
gados a este punto, este Apndice se cierra con el texto del
poema original de Rupert Brooke y la traduccin manuscrita
del mismo por Domingo Rivero, de la cual ha surgido Te
Poet.
body to become a master of Spanish poetry, in the same
way that if Brooke had written nothing but his fve 1914
sonnets including his wonderful poem Te Soldierhis
fame would be assured forever in England. In this im-
mortal sonnet, according to the critic, the feeling of an
imaginative man about to give all for his country [] has
never been more strikingly and tenderly divined. Like
Brooke, Rivero not only felt a special connection towards
England (his other island) but also may have felt that his
end was near. Because of this, the last two documents in-
cluded in this Appendix are the text of the original poem
by Rupert Brooke as well as the handwritten translation
by Domingo Rivero, from which The Poet has emerged.
72
.
EL POETA THE POET
.
73
THE SOLDIER (Rupert Brooke, 1914)
If I should die, think only this of me:
Tat theres some corner of a foreign feld
Tat is for ever England. Tere shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed:
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her fowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of Englands, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.
ANNEX ANEXO
76
.
EL POETA THE POET
.
77
78
.
EL POETA THE POET
.
79
80
.
EL POETA THE POET
.
81
82
.
EL POETA THE POET
.
83
House at Torrington Square
G
e
t
t
y

I
m
a
g
e
s
THE POET
.
85
ltima foto de Domingo Rivero, el 7 de septiembre de 1929.
Last picture of Domingo Rivero. 7
th
September 1929.
THE TRANSLATOR
Mara del Mar Santana
Falcn, born on 18
th
March
1977 in Las Palmas de Gran
Canaria, is the author of this an-
notated translation of ffteen poems
by Domingo Rivero, Te Poet. After
obtaining her Advanced Studies
Diploma in Translating and Inter-
preting from ULPGC in 2001, she
decided to take a leaf from Domin-
go Riveros own book, visiting Mar-
seille and Paris, before settling for a
time in London.
After returning to her native
island, she has taught at Te British
School of Gran Canaria since 2003,
where she is currently Coordinator
of Spanish Studies and Teacher of
German as a Foreign Language and
Spanish Language and Literature.
On 21
st
March 2014, on the oc-
casion of World Poetry Day, she was
in charge of leading the closing ce-
remony of the exhibition Why should
I not love you? Domingo Rivero, a
poet in images, with the frst com-
munication in English about the life
and work of the author.
Tis event was attended by the
honourable representatives from
the European Commission pro-
ject Library, I love it!, who came to
Gran Canaria from Poland, Austria,
Croatia, Finland, Italy, the Czech
Republic and Turkey. Her frst task
in Literary Translation, Te Poet, the
main object of study in her doctoral
thesis (still under development), has
managed to defnitively and univer-
sally project the name and the lite-
rary legacy of Domingo Rivero.
LA TRADUCTORA
Mara del Mar Santana Fal-
cn, nacida el 18 de marzo de
1977 en Las Palmas de Gran
Canaria, es la autora de esta tra-
duccin anotada de quince poemas
de Domingo Rivero, Te Poet. Tras
obtener el Diploma de Estudios
Avanzados en Traduccin e Interpre-
tacin por la ULPGC en el ao 2001,
la traductora decide cambiar visiones
isleas por europeas, como lo hara el
propio Rivero, recorriendo ciudades
del exilio del poeta canario para tam-
bin instalarse fnalmente en Londres.
Tras regresar a su isla natal, en
2003 entra a formar parte del equipo
educativo de Te British School of
Gran Canaria, donde actualmente es
Coordinadora de Estudios Espaoles
e imparte la asignatura de Alemn
como Lengua Extranjera as como
Lengua Castellana y Literatura.
El 21 de marzo de 2014, con
ocasin del Da Mundial de la Poe-
sa, estuvo a cargo de la clausura de la
exposicin Por qu no te he de amar?
Domingo Rivero, un poeta en imgenes,
con la primera comunicacin en in-
gls sobre la vida y obra del autor.
Esta ceremonia cont con la
honorable presencia de los represen-
tantes del proyecto de la Comisin
Europea Library, I love it!, venidos a
Gran Canaria desde Polonia, Austria,
Croacia, Finlandia, Italia, la Repblica
Checa y Turqua. Su primer trabajo en
Traduccin Literaria, Te Poet, objeto
de estudio de su tesis doctoral (toda-
va en desarrollo), consigue proyectar
universal y defnitivamente la fgura y
el legado literario de Domingo Rivero.
MUSEO POETA DOMINGO RIVERO
Presidente-Director: Jos Antonio Rivero Gmez
Vicepresidenta: Mara Luisa Estvez Reneses
Subdirectora: Elisa Mara Quintana Navarro