Diez Décimas de Saludo Al Público Argentino
Alfredo Zitarrosa
Ten Greetings to the Argentine Public
In my hometown there is a town
Called don't-forget-me;
Whoever knows it should cherish
Its memory like a gem,
Because there are forgettings that burn
And there are memories that magnify,
Things that don't seem like it
Like the floating iceberg,
Below are giants
Submerged, that shake.
My town is a serene sea
Under a stormy sky:
In its slow life beat
The thunderous noises.
It could engender in its bosom
The montoneras of yesteryear
And when the time comes,
Tomorrow, it will also be able
To nail a thousand stars in the dawn.
There is nothing more unhurried
Than a town making history
It is not seduced by glory
Nor does it imagine the future
Marching with sure steps,
Calculating each step
And what seems like a setback
Often transforms soon
Into things that for the fool
Are the cause of his failure.
My town is not Argentine,
Nor Paraguayan, nor southern;
It is called
