15 / 80
Poetry 15
the Yoruba, whether their ancestors were Spanish, or—as was
the case for many like himself—whether they were mulatto.
“Son número 6” (“
Son
Number 6”), is probably the most
famous poem from
Motivos de son
(the translation here is by
Salvador Ortiz-Carboneres of the University of Warwick):
I’m Yoruba, crying out Yoruba
Lucumí.
Since I’m Yoruba from Cuba,
I want my lament of Yoruba to touch Cuba
the joyful weeping Yoruba
that comes out of me.
. . . .
Listen my friends, to my ‘son’ which begins like this:
Here is the riddle
of all my hopes:
what’s mine is yours,
what’s yours is mine;
all the blood
shaping a river.
. . . .
We’ve come together from far away,
young ones and old,
Blacks and Whites, moving together;
one is a leader, the other a follower,
all moving together; . . .
. . . everyone pulling together!