Primavera (Spring)

In the spirit of Bob Elmendorf’s poem March, I offer these lines from Carlos Santana’s song, Primavera—first in the original Spanish, then in my English translation:

Como la semilla
Lleva nueva vida
Hay en esta primavera
Una nueva era
Lluvia de sol
Como una bendición
La vida renace a plena luz
La primavera ya llegó
Todo es así
Regreso a la raíz
Tiempo de inquieta juventud
En primavera ya
La tierra negra
Se vuelve verde
Y las montañas
Y el desierto
Un bello jardín…
En el aire
De este nuevo universo
Hoy se respira libertad
En primavera ya…
 
Like the seed
Bearing new life
In this Spring there’s
A new age.
 
The sun rains down
Like a blessing
Life is reborn in its radiant light
Now it’s Spring
Always it’s like that
I return to my roots
To the time of restless youth 
Now it’s Spring.
 
The black earth
Turns green
And the mountains
And the desert
Become a lovely garden
 
In the air
Of this new universe
Now freedom breathes forth
Now it’s Spring.
 
In these last days of March, I hope Old Chatham folks are feeling the first stirrings of Spring and the end (we hope) of a deadly Pandemic. Of course, Friends know that even in the winter of our personal discontents, God (or Nature) brings us life and hope. And—speaking of a return—I expect to briefly visit OCMM in May. I’ll see the trees leafed out and squirrels scampering here and there. Maybe I’ll even see a bear in Bob Elmendorf or Bev Thompson’s yard!
BTW, if you want to hear Santana sing Primavera, click HERE.

~ Richard Russell

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