Alfonsina Y El Mar

By the soft sand that the sea licks
Her little footprint never returns,
A path only of sorrow and silence
Reached the deep water,
A path only of silent sorrows
Reached the foam

God knows what anguish accompanied you
What old pains silenced your voice
To lay you down lulled by the song
Of the seashells
The song that sings at the bottom
Dark of the sea the seashells

You're leaving, Alfonsina, with your loneliness
What new poems did you go to seek
An ancient voice of wind and salt
Breaks your soul and is taking you
And you go there as in dreams,
Asleep, Alfonsina, dressed in sea

Five little mermaids will take you
Through paths of algae and coral
And phosphorescent seahorses
Will dance around you
And the inhabitants of the water
Will soon play by your side

Lower the lamp a little more for me
Let me sleep, nurse, in peace
And if he calls, don't tell him I'm here
Tell him Alfonsina isn't coming back
And if he calls, never tell him I'm here,
Say that I have gone

You're leaving, Alfonsina, with your loneliness
What new poems did you go to seek
An ancient voice of wind and salt
Breaks your soul and is taking you
And you go there as in dreams,
Asleep, Alfonsina, dressed in sea