In a departure from the normal blog format, I’d like to share a bilingual poem that came my way. This is a view of the world that we all, in some shape or form, can relate to regardless of our language pair.
LUCKY
Four years ago my husband swung at me; but I was lucky.
Hace cuatro años mi marido me pegó; pero tuve suerte.
Four years ago I called the police and told them what happened; I was lucky.
Hace cuatro años llamé la policía y les conté lo que pasó; tuve suerte.
Four years ago they searched my apartment and said he was gone; I was lucky.
Hace cuatro años lo buscaron en mi apartamento y me dijeron que no estaba; tuve suerte.
Four years ago I spoke to a social worker and declined to press charges; they said I was lucky.
Hace cuatro años hablé con una trabajadora social y decidí no presentar cargos; me dijeron que tuve suerte.
Sometime later I filed for divorce; I felt very lucky.
Un tiempo después pedí el divorcio; sentí que tenía mucha suerte.
Sometime later I had him served; I was lucky.
Un tiempo después se le informó formalmente; tuve suerte.
Sometime later I went to court and got rescheduled; but I was lucky.
Un tiempo después fui a corte y aplazaron la audiencia; pero tuve suerte.
Sometime later my divorce was finalized; I was lucky.
Un tiempo después se finalizó mi divorcio; tuve suerte.
I am still extremely lucky; lucky that I have two voices.
Todavía tengo mucha suerte; suerte que tengo dos voces.
Lucky that my parents taught me Spanish while society taught me English.
Suerte que mis padres me enseñaron español, y la comunidad inglés.
Lucky that I have a voice I can use in two languages.
Suerte que tengo una voz en ambos idiomas.
Lucky that I can go through life expressing myself.
Suerte que vivo expresándome a mí misma.
But not everyone is lucky like me.
Pero no todos tienen mi misma suerte.
Not everyone knows two languages.
No todos hablan dos idiomas.
Not everyone can speak English.
No todos hablan inglés.
So I will use my luck; use it to be their voice.
Así que usaré mi suerte; la usaré para darles una voz.
Thank you, Metztli, for permission to post your work and for leaving us with the question: Whose voice will we be today?
What an inspiring message. Thank you for lifting us all, interpreters and translators, as we take on a brand new week.
Somos afortunados.
Gabriela Lomónaco
Very nice! I feel I do some real good work