Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) is one of the most important Argentine writers of the 20th century. His work includes short stories, essays and poems, and he won numerous awards around the world, including the Cervantes Prize in Spain.
...
I won't be happy anymore. Maybe it doesn't matter.
There are so many other things in the world;
any moment is deeper
and diverse than the sea. Life is short
and though the hours are so long,
a dark wonder stalks us,
death, that other sea, that other arrow
that frees us from the sun and the moon
and of love. The joy you gave me
and you took from me must be erased;
What was everything must be nothing.
Only that I have the joy of being sad,
that vain habit that inclines me
to the South, to a certain door, to a certain corner.
Header Image:
Portrait of Jorge Luis Borges. Source: cultura.gob.ar
An interesting poem. Thanks for sharing. The punctuation needs a bit of rethinking. Earlier in the poem, periods (.) are avoided. However, the 2nd part of the poems uses periods (.)
True. The explanation lies in the fact that the original Spanish poem also has that problem.
Ya no seré feliz. Tal vez no importa.
Hay tantas otras cosas en el mundo;
un instante cualquiera es más profundo
y diverso que el mar. La vida es corta
y aunque las horas son tan largas, una
oscura maravilla nos acecha,
la muerte, ese otro mar, esa otra flecha
que nos libra del sol y de la luna
y del amor. La dicha que me diste
y me quitaste debe ser borrada;
lo que era todo tiene que ser nada.
Sólo que me queda el goce de estar triste,
esa vana costumbre que me inclina
al Sur, a cierta puerta, a cierta esquina.