La Plañidera
Raúl Vásquez
The Mourner
Today again the house dresses in black
The curtains close as a sign of mourning
An old jug has become a vase
Once it stored wine, now a final goodbye
The lament and pitiful voice can already be heard
Of a woman in black that nobody knows
She is the one who cries the most and suffers the most
Only the homeowner knows she is the mourner
And the coffee is more bitter than yesterday
They have already started to drink
And a violin in the other room
Sadly plays a song
The mourner, the mourner
Who sold her tears
The mourner, the mourner
Cries for someone she never knew
No bond ties her to the deceased
Yet she mourns and misses him like no relative
The mortuary cart has arrived at the door
Now the men no longer drink the strong liquor
They walk hesitantly towards the cemetery
They cross themselves and pray the Lord's Prayer
A poorly carved wooden cross
Is the silent form of a humble gesture
The burial has reached its final phase
The mourners go back to their homes
The eyes, battered like a withered flower
Are the result of deep sorrow
And the coffee is more bitter than yesterday
They have already started to drink
And a violin in the other room
Sadly plays this song
The mourner, the mourner
Who sold her tears
The mourner, the mourner
Cries for someone she never knew
