TE19 Iberian Adventure

El Colombiario (ten poems) Albert Bonjoch Translated from Spanish by Chris McKinnell

Earth Tremor

Without a hint of happy sunrises the blood-red dawn exploded. On one side the drawn-out snoring of the valleys, the dozing of well-fed sentries. On another the tense awakening of the hillsides, the sleeplessness of those who chewed up ideals and defecated gunpowder. And everywhere the soundless howl of the earth, the furious hunger of the helpless fuelling the friction of destiny. - Forward! - echoed high in the mountains. First the dust was mobilised, vanguard of dreamy red-collared birds. Then the stones split, a battalion of excited heifers. And finally the rocks threw themselves down, artillery of hardened executioners.

The clamour was deafening and echoed across the plains, the vanguard sniffed them out 27