Jacinto Chiclana
Jorge Luis Borges
Jacinto Chiclana
I remember, it was in Balvanera,
On a distant night,
That someone dropped the name
Of a certain Jacinto Chiclana.
Something was also said
About a corner and a knife.
The years don't reveal
The tangle and the shine.
Who knows for what reason
That name is seeking me!
I would like to know
What that man was like.
I see him tall and upright,
With a measured soul;
Able to not raise his voice
And to risk his life.
(spoken)
No one with firmer steps
Will have walked the earth.
No one will have been like him
In love and in war.
Above the orchard and the patio
The towers of Balvanera
And that casual death
On any corner.
Only God can know
The true nature of that man.
Gentlemen, I am singing
What is encrypted in the name.
Courage is always better.
Hope is never in vain.
So, let this milonga go
For Jacinto Chiclana.